LYNNWOOD — As July 4 approaches, two Lynnwood men learned the hard way Tuesday night why firefighters are so wary this year.
The men, 32 and 26, were walking on a sidewalk along the Alderwood Mall Parkway just south of the I-5 overpass when one of them lit a firework.
The 26-year-old man told police he knew he shouldn’t throw it into traffic so he tossed it over a fence into some dry grass.
He soon realized that was a bad idea.
It caused a fire that spread quickly. He climbed the fence to try to extinguish it, but it was too late.
Lynnwood firefighters put out the blaze. The pair stayed at the scene to face the consequences.
Both men were arrested and booked into the city jail for investigation of unlawfully discharging fireworks, which are illegal in Lynnwood. The 26-year-old also was cited for reckless burning. They later were released.
Lynnwood police Sgt. Sean Doty said the fire demonstrates the danger posed by dry conditions this year.
“One spark is all it takes,” he said.
Though fireworks are legal to use in Marysville on July Fourth, between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m., city officials there also are concerned about the fire danger and potential for residential fires to spread quickly.
Marysville Fire Marshal Tom Maloney is hoping people will consider the parched terrain and pass on fireworks altogether.
In the first six months of the year, the Marysville Fire Department has responded to 120 fire calls, nearly double the number of fire calls it had in all of 2014.
Last year, crews responded to 27 brush fires or miscellaneous fires around the city; this year, they’ve already battled 55.
“We’re asking everybody not to use fireworks,” Maloney said. “There’s no safe and sane firework this year. It’s just too dry. Watching a professional fireworks show is the safest way to celebrate.”
The Snohomish County Council passed a resolution Wednesday discouraging people from setting off fireworks in unincorporated areas July 4, given the unusually dry conditions.
The resolution passed 4-0.
The move came after the council declined to act on requests from worried homeowners and officials from Snohomish County Fire District 1, who wanted a ban on all fireworks except for professional displays. Under state law, a ban cannot take effect for a year after legislation is enacted. The council would have had to have passed a ban this week for it to take effect by July 4, 2016.
The county only allows fireworks from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on July 4. Many cities have bans in place, including Everett, Edmonds, Gold Bar, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mukilteo and Woodway.
Fire District 1, which covers much of southwest Snohomish County, has been asking the County Council for a ban every year since at least 2010.
The state outlaws several types of fireworks, including firecrackers, bottle rockets, sky rockets, M-80s or larger, cherry bombs, tennis-ball bombs and altered legal fireworks.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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