Calls to Orange County firefighters jump 58% on July 4th

Calls to firefighters in Orange County jumped significantly on July 4th, with crews racing around to put out more than 100 fires that day, authorities said.

The call load for the Orange County Fire Authority on Saturday was 58% more than an average day, said Captain Greg Barta.

The week leading up to this year’s July 4th holiday was also heavy with fire calls.

“We definitely did notice an increase in firework activity throughout the entire last week,” Barta said, “culminating in the night of July 4th.”

Many Orange County residents were stuck at home for Independence Day this year amid the coronavirus pandemic. On top of that, cities across the region canceled their fireworks shows over concerns of spreading the virus at large events.

Cities that did host fireworks events, like Los Alamitos, required attendees to watch from their cars.

Without the big, annual shows, more people launched illegal fireworks in their backyards, according to fire authorities, medical experts and annoyed neighbors.

Barta said the Fire Authority responded to 117 fire calls on Saturday. That included 46 tree or other plant fires, 29 garbage fires, 18 structure fires, and nine brush fires. The remaining 15 fire calls weren’t categorized.

Orange County firefighters responded to 635 total calls on Saturday. They respond to around 400 to 450 calls on a normal day, Barta said.

Whether fireworks led to the fires in Orange County last night still has to be investigated, however.

Still, he said fire officials were “extra aggressive” this year in trying to inform the public about the dangers of fireworks.

“We’ve been extra vigilant in our outreach to prevent as many injuries as possible,” he said.