New Year’s Eve fireworks trigger few complaints

If you were in Vancouver on New Year’s Eve, you likely heard pops, crackles and booms. You weren’t supposed to.

“It seems like everybody heard some fireworks going off,” said Clark County Deputy Fire Marshal Richard Martin.

Few complaints, though, were reported to the fire marshal’s office or Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency, Martin said.

A fireworks ban went into effect last year to limit use of fireworks to July 1-4. Anyone who sets off fireworks outside those dates is subject to a $250 fine. Illegal fireworks could result in a $500 fine.

The cities of Battle Ground, Camas, Washougal and Woodland allow fireworks Dec. 31.

Martin said people should not shy away from calling 911 about fireworks. He said dispatchers send the information to the fire marshal’s office, as well as to law enforcement, and it’s the most efficient way to get the fire marshal’s on-call investigator to the scene.