Kennewick officials review July 4 fireworks activity after spike in fires, calls

Kennewick City Council members on July 15 heard multiple public complaints about fireworks use and received after-action reports from police and fire officials documenting a sharp rise in fireworks-related incidents during the July 3–5 period.

Council and staff said the city saw more fireworks calls and more fire responses than in 2024 and described a mix of enforcement, education and regional coordination as the near-term response.

The city’s police chief, identified in the meeting as Chief Guerrero, told council officers recorded 181 fireworks-related calls from July 3 through July 5 and 815 other calls during the same period. He said calls by date were 16 on July 3, 117 on July 4 and 48 on July 5, and that the busiest window on July 4 was roughly 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., when 96 fireworks calls occurred. Guerrero said the city deployed two overtime two-person teams (one police officer and one firefighter) to focus specifically on fireworks issues; those teams handled 61 fireworks-related contacts, 31 of which were officer-initiated, and issued 32 verbal warnings.

“I think 1 of the council members, council member Milbauer mentioned, we dealt with those teams dealt with 61 issues related to fireworks,” Guerrero said during his report.

Interim fire leadership (identified as the interim fire chief in the meeting) reported 18 fires during the July 4 evening timeframe that were known or suspected to be caused by fireworks, and 43 fire responses during the June 28–July 4 period when fireworks are permitted for sale. The fire report included an estimated property loss of about $770,000, content loss of about $51,000 and about 77 acres burned; staff said those are department estimates submitted to state and federal fire reporting systems, not insurance-adjuster figures.

“We had a total of 18 fires that were either known to be caused by fireworks … 3 of those fires affected a structure,” the interim fire chief said. He added that some dumpster and outside-rubbish fires result from people disposing of fireworks that still retain heat.

Several residents urged changes. One Zoom commenter asked the council to ban fireworks inside city limits, saying fireworks were “getting louder and bigger” and continued for days. Resident Dan Worth urged a ban and stronger enforcement, saying, “Fireworks are inherently dying dangerous and should be bad. Stop the safe and sane fireworks and stop the importing the illegal fireworks.” Helene Hoffbauer, who lives near Highlands Middle School, asked the city to address fireworks and unrelated cut-through traffic near her neighborhood.

Other residents and councilmembers urged a balanced response. Councilmember Trumbo noted concerns for people with combat-related PTSD and questioned the safety of temporary fireworks sales sites. Councilmember McShane said many residents relied on smaller, legal displays for community celebration and urged education and targeted enforcement rather than a full ban. Councilmember McShane also noted water-supply and other community issues in her report but said fireworks concerns warrant review.

Councilmember comments and staff presentations described a combination of actions being considered or already taken: (1) inspections of nine temporary fireworks stands by city fire inspectors (inspectors found those stands in compliance with the state checklist), (2) empowering officers to issue infractions rather than only misdemeanors for violations, and (3) proposals for future workshops and a citizen advisory panel to recommend acceptable regulation levels and community education approaches.

City Manager Erdmann and chiefs also described regional coordination: crews assisted and received assistance through mutual-aid arrangements with Benton and Franklin counties for staffing during the River of Fire and other events.

The council did not adopt new regulations during the meeting. Several councilmembers asked staff to return with options for possible next steps, including enforcement thresholds, fines, and community education; the meeting materials and staff reports noted planned follow-up conversation(s). The police and fire chiefs were available to answer council questions during the session.

Residents and council members repeatedly distinguished between legal “small ground displays” sold in Kennewick and larger illegal fireworks brought in from other jurisdictions; officers reported many people told them they had purchased fireworks in nearby West Richland. Police said the teams used education during many contacts because many users did not know their fireworks were illegal.

The discussion also included operational detail: the police department designated July 4 as a “blackout” day when no authorized time off is permitted under the union contract, and the city brought in overtime staff to address fireworks complaints. City staff said proactive education contacts by officers likely increased contacts this year compared with previous years.

Looking ahead, councilmembers proposed several follow-ups: more public education about legal versus illegal fireworks, potential fee/fine adjustments to cover enforcement costs, refinement of inspection and sales information at temporary stands, and a future workshop to consider formal policy options and a citizen advisory committee on fireworks regulation.

The meeting record includes written staff summaries and the department estimates cited in their reports; councilmembers praised first responders for their work during the period.

Ending: Council did not vote on fireworks policy at the July 15 meeting; staff were asked to return with additional information and options for council consideration at a future meeting.