Fourth of July fire calls in Whatcom County doubled compared to last year
Early reports show an increase in fire calls over the Fourth of July weekend compared to last year. Whatcom Fire Marshal Tiffany Honey said the weekend saw 68 calls to 911 regarding fires, up from 30 calls during last year’s holiday.
Meanwhile, the Bellingham Fire Department responded to 22 fire calls between July 3 and July 5. Though many could not be confirmed as fireworks-related, the number of calls is much higher than the average of nine fire calls per week, according to Capt. Dustin Michaelis with the BFD.
Although fire calls were up, local hospitalizations were down compared to last year.
Five people were brought to the emergency department at St. Joseph Medical Center for fireworks-related injuries, according to Anne Williams with St. Joseph. Four patients were treated and released, with one transferred for a higher level of care. That number is down from the seven people treated at the Bellingham hospital in 2024, one of whom lost three fingers and a thumb to an M80 explosion.
Along with a high number of fires, the weekend saw a rise in trash in public places following the holiday.
Danielle Gaughen with the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce said 5.99 tons of garbage was cleaned up from the beach at Birch Bay following the fireworks. That is 25% more than was picked up in 2024, according to Fire Chief Jason Van der Veen with North Whatcom Fire and Rescue.
“And that’s after a high tide, so that means that probably, a good portion of it gets washed out,” Van der Veen said. “I mean it’s gross; we always go out there the day after (the Fourth of July) and help clean up.”
In addition to fireworks debris, the garbage included other waste like candy wrappers and dirty diapers, Van der Veen told The Herald.
This story was originally published July 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM.
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