Despite a series of regional wildfires leading up to the Independence Day holiday, East Idaho celebrated America’s 250th birthday without major incident.

The Fourth of July is often the most dangerous night of the year for fireworks, and firefighting crews across East Idaho had already spent the preceding week battling blazes that scorched acres of land and threatened homes.

In the days before the holiday, dozens of firefighters were deployed as multiple communities grappled with fast-moving fires. Warnings from East Idaho officials about fireworks use grew increasingly dire, with local law enforcement vowing to cite anyone caught breaking the rules. The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise added to those concerns Thursday, issuing its July fire outlook and placing East Idaho in the highest risk category for wildfires.

The most recent wildfires ignited Friday night near Idaho Falls, when two fireworks-caused vegetation fires near Comish Lane and High Willow Lane broke out simultaneously around 10 p.m., burning a combined 8 acres before firefighters stopped their spread. The simultaneous blazes posed a significant threat to nearby homes and together consumed a significant amount of local firefighting resources at once.

Firefighters from the Idaho Falls Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management, Central Fire District, Ucon Fire Department, Bonneville County Fire District 1 and Shelley Fire Department responded, with additional support from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office and Bonneville County Emergency Management. Idaho Falls Fire Department crews remained on scene until Saturday morning making sure the flames were out.

“These fires are a reminder of how quickly conditions can change,” said Idaho Falls Fire Chief Johan Olson. “We are experiencing extremely dry conditions, and even legal, consumer-grade fireworks can start fast-moving fires. (Friday) night’s incidents required virtually all of the local firefighting resources available. We were fortunate that no lives, homes or other property were lost.”

That Friday night blaze was only the latest in a string of close calls. On Thursday evening, the Fort Hall Fire Department responded to two separate wildfires — one on Teepee Street around 5:30 p.m. and another on West Agency Road around 9 p.m. Both fires threatened nearby homes before firefighters contained them, and preliminary information indicates fireworks may have caused both blazes.

On Wednesday and Friday, fire crews in Bonneville County battled wildfires in the Ammon foothills that also threatened nearby homes. Those fires began Wednesday afternoon when a wind-driven wildfire broke out in the Henry Creek area in the foothills southeast of Ammon, burning approximately 100 acres of brush and grass before a massive multi-agency response extinguished the blaze. The fire ignited around 2 p.m. Wednesday near Packbridge Lane, east of 45th East near Ledgerock Drive in the upper southeast portion of the Comore Loma subdivision, threatening a small number of nearby homes before firefighters gained the upper hand with help from firefighting aircraft.

Idaho Falls Fire Department units were first to arrive, deploying three brush vehicles, two water tenders and two fire engines. The Bureau of Land Management sent two fire engines and two air tankers, and the U.S. Forest Service contributed two fire engines and one helicopter. Bonneville County Fire District 1’s Ammon Division, the Henry’s Creek Rural Fire Association and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office also responded. Fire crews remained on scene overnight extinguishing hot spots and preventing the blaze from rekindling. The cause remains under investigation, though reports indicate a possible lightning strike.

“When multiple fires happen at the same time, our available resources become limited,” Olson said. “Every unnecessary fire has the potential to delay emergency response elsewhere or grow beyond our ability to contain it quickly. We need everyone’s help to reduce that risk.”

In addition to the larger blazes, local fire departments responded to multiple smaller brush fires Thursday and Friday. In those cases, firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the flames before they could spread. Fire officials across East Idaho are acutely aware that the outcomes of that week’s fires — no injuries, no evacuations and no structures damaged — could easily have been far worse.

The wave of fires prompted Bonneville County and the cities of Idaho Falls, Ammon and Iona to issue a joint statement Saturday morning calling on residents to immediately stop igniting illegal aerial fireworks, especially in foothill areas.

“We encourage residents to celebrate safely by attending a public, professionally managed fireworks display,” the joint statement read.

Fort Hall Fire Chief Eric King added his voice to the warnings.

“The quick response by our firefighters helped prevent these incidents from becoming much more serious,” King said. “We ask everyone to do their part to help protect our community by using fireworks responsibly and remaining aware of the fire danger.”

Local law enforcement agencies said they would cite anyone found violating fireworks laws and bans, and the consequences go well beyond a ticket. Individuals found in violation of local fireworks ordinances may be held liable for the full costs of fire suppression efforts and any property damage resulting from unlawful fireworks use. In a region where a single wildfire can require dozens of firefighters, multiple agencies and aerial resources to contain, that liability could be substantial.

The fear driving all of these warnings is rooted in conditions that fire officials describe as among the most dangerous they have seen. East Idaho is in the grip of a historic drought — snowpack this past winter came in at less than 40 percent of normal, rivers and reservoirs are critically low, and the wildfire threat level was already elevated before the Fourth of July arrived. Grass and vegetation that would normally retain some moisture this time of year are bone dry, turning open fields, vacant lots and foothill terrain into fuel waiting for a spark.

Fireworks provide exactly that spark, often in ways people don’t anticipate. A firework that lands in dry grass doesn’t need long to ignite it. Embers from aerial fireworks can travel significant distances via the wind before landing in vegetation, and even ground-based fireworks can throw sparks into nearby grass. In drought-riddled East Idaho, any of those scenarios can produce a fire that outpaces a person’s ability to extinguish it within seconds — and in many cases, a fast-moving fire can reach homes before fire trucks can respond.

Anyone using legal fireworks in permitted areas is asked to keep them away from dry grass, vehicles and structures, have water immediately available, soak all debris thoroughly before discarding it and call 911 immediately if a fire starts.

Against that backdrop, the holiday itself passed with far fewer incidents than officials feared. Pocatello Police Lt. Akilah Lacey said Independence Day celebrations in the Gate City area passed without any major fire incidents, with fewer than 20 citations issued, most for illegal fireworks or violations of fireworks-area bans.

Lacey said there were 120 calls for service during between 5 p.m. on July 4th and 7 a.m. on July 5. Of those, 76 were fireworks-related, not including noise violations or similar disturbances — down from 104 fireworks-related calls during the same period the previous year, or nearly 30 fewer fireworks-related incidents.

“I truly think it was due to the (community’s) compliance,” Lacey said. “Obviously there were people still lighting off illegal fireworks, still having fireworks in restricted areas, but for the majority of people, it was definitely down from the numbers last year.”

Lacey said that this year, due to the significant fire risk from an especially low snowpack this winter and current dry conditions, first responders took citations and violations very seriously, issuing citations rather than warnings.

But area police and firefighters weren’t the only ones doing their due diligence and taking extra precautions.

“We had different neighborhood groups reaching out to us and asking us for more enforcement in their areas,” Lacey said. “We had very good interactions with the Pocatello Fire Department. They were out patrolling with us. I think all of that stuff helped. It is a very dry season, and there was a big worry about it, especially down south of town and the west bench areas.”

In Pocatello, fireworks have been banned in areas along the outskirts of the city. Rural areas of Bannock County are also under a fireworks ban.

Lacey said he doesn’t enjoy being the “no fun police” and takes no pleasure in strictly enforcing the laws. He said he and the department are simply trying to protect the community so that a fireworks-related incident doesn’t end in catastrophe — someone potentially losing a house, property or even their life.

“We do appreciate the community, for the most part, adhering to what needed to happen and keeping the community safe,” Lacey said. “We need to be aware that our weather this year is different than what it’s been, and it’s been kind of a rare year, and we just have to be aware of our surroundings. Don’t hesitate to call if something is going up. You don’t want the bystander effect, where people think somebody else will take care of it. Call and let us know and we’ll do our best.”

Lacey continued, “The safety of our community relies on all of us working together and being just that — a community. So if we’re able to continue to do that throughout the rest of the summer and hopefully into the future, it should be good. We’ll continue to work together with the fire department, however they need us, to try to ensure the safety of our community.”

In the Idaho Falls area, Fire Chief Johan Olson and Idaho Falls Public Information Officer Hayli Egbert said the department responded to several fires caused by fireworks over the holiday, and thanks to the efforts of firefighters and regional fire service partners, every fire was contained before it caused greater damage.

“We want to emphasize how well the fire suppression agencies across our region worked together,” the Idaho Falls Fire Department said. “The collaboration between departments was outstanding, and that teamwork was critical to protecting lives and property during an extremely busy holiday. Even with that level of cooperation, our resources were stretched. In some cases, nearly every available firefighting resource from multiple agencies was committed to active fires.”

The Idaho Falls Fire Department is asking for the public’s help. Firefighters will always respond, but preventing fires starts with the choices people make. The department’s biggest concern is what happens if another major fire starts while its resources are already committed — a fire that would normally be stopped quickly can grow rapidly if firefighters are responding elsewhere.

The department said that if a fire is caused by someone’s negligence or irresponsible use of fireworks, that person can be held legally and financially responsible for the damage — a situation no one wants to find themselves in.

“The fire danger isn’t over just because the holiday is over,” the Idaho Falls Fire Department said. “Hot, dry conditions continue to create a high risk for fire. Whether it’s fireworks, equipment, campfires, or anything else that can create sparks or open flames, we need everyone to use extreme caution. Our message is simple: the collaboration between our fire agencies was exceptional, but we need your help. Help us prevent the next fire. A little caution today can protect homes, property and lives tomorrow.”

The wildfires of the past week were stopped — barely, and with everything the region’s firefighters had. While Idaho’s wildfire season remains in full effect, East Idaho residents largely did their part over the holiday to prevent further incidents, prioritizing the state’s safety and supporting area first responders as they continue to battle the blazes threatening the region.