Fireworks cited in 2 Fourth of July grass fires
Fireworks were to blame for at least two grass blazes in Ypsilanti Township on the Fourth of July.
The first occurred in the area of South Hydro Park where 8-acres of grass burned in May. The cause of the previous fire was broken glass in the field acting in the way a magnifying glass does. When the sun hit it just right, the fire started.
At 3:32 p.m. on Wednesday, the Ypsilanti Township Fire Department responded to the same area near Textile and Bridge roads for a field fire. This time, however, it’s believed fireworks shot off at nearby Lake Pointe Apartments are to blame.
“The sheriff’s department was told that people were shooting fireworks off from the apartment complex into that field,” said Ypsilanti Township fire Lt. Brad Johnson. “That would be the probable cause of this fire.”
A few acres of grass were on fire when crews arrived. It burned the area not affected by the fire in May.
“It was moving rapidly because of the winds” Johnson said.
Trucks specially built to battle grass fires from departments in Pittsfield, Augusta and Superior townships came to Ypsilanti Township’s aid. The Ypsilanti Fire Department also assisted in putting out the fire, which took about an hour and a half to put out.
There was no reported damage. In fact, Johnson said the grass grows back greener and healthier after a fire.
“It’s actually good for the land,” he said.
Ypsilanti Township fire was dispatched to the 1300 block of Duncan Avenue for a second firework-related incident at 7:09 p.m. Wednesday.
A lawn caught fire after a bottle rocket landed in it.
“The backyard was smoldering,” Johnson said. “It was a pretty small area.”
Firefighters quickly had the situation under control.
Johnson said the heat and severely dry conditions definitely played a factor in both fires. Rain Wednesday night and Thursday will help, though.
“We got a little bit of rain,” said Johnson. “Things aren’t quite so brittle.”
John Counts covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at johncounts@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Tru2Blu76
Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 3:03 a.m.
Fireworks Apocalyps Now!!!! LOL!! Two grass fires in the Ann Arbor - Ypsi area, no injuries and no property damaged: what a hoot!! "Fire officials warn..." has been the daily report here for over a week and all we got is a couple of harmless (possibly even beneficial) grass fires. Hah!!
greg, too
Sat, Jul 7, 2012 : 4:19 a.m.
Wow, someone didn't read the warning labels and fired them off in a severe drought? This is so shocking. How did our state reps and congress persons and governor and city council persons(who could have overturned certain parts of the ban) miss this possible error?
Ann English
Fri, Jul 6, 2012 : 5:43 p.m.
Sounds like whoever shot off those fire-causing articles didn't read or at least take seriously, Lisa Carolin's tips in her July 4 article. Have a working garden hose or pail of water handy. You should know how dry/wet a surface is before allowing fireworks to land on it. She ended her article with warnings to hose down a firework that is smoldering.
brimble
Fri, Jul 6, 2012 : 4:50 p.m.
The change in the law and subsequent availability of airborne fireworks seems to have been embraced heartily by lots and lots of people. Wednesday night's percussion symphony was long and loud. Ignoring the environmental questions, where in the scope of things do noise regulations fall relative to lighting loud fireworks at night, especially in residential neighborhoods. Seems that it would have been very tough to go to sleep early....
mixmaster
Fri, Jul 6, 2012 : 3:53 p.m.
How much did it cost for safety services for this incident? Please bill the legislators and Snyder for the cost of safety services provided.
mixmaster
Fri, Jul 6, 2012 : 3:51 p.m.
Add this to the stats for now legal firework "accidents".