There were plenty of illegal fireworks bursting in the air Saturday night, July 4 — and a few fires as a result, one of which burned 11 acres at Duck Cove at Woodward Reservoir — but while several illegal fireworks were confiscated, no citations were given within the City of Oakdale, said officials.
According to Oakdale Rural Fire Protection District Deputy Chief, Rob Hoyer, engines had been staffed at the reservoir as standard procedure for the annual fireworks display on the water but saw the illegal variety go into the air and then catch the grass on fire.
“It burnt to Dorsey Road,” Hoyer said. “Our engines just happened to be out there and witnessed the fire start.”
Saturday night in the city, firefighters responded to a small grass fire in a vacant lot on Maxwell Avenue at 10 p.m. that may have been started by fireworks as the timing was right, but the actual cause has not been determined, said Oakdale City Fire Marshal Rick Fields.
“We were pretty busy for a period between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. patrolling for illegal fireworks,” Fields said.
But while there were plenty of pretty explosions, there were no citations given and no injuries reported.
There was a drowning Friday in Waterford when a 17-year-old boy dove into a canal and never resurfaced and a two-boat collision at Woodward Reservoir that same day with six injured but only one injured seriously enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.
“It was busy but we were well prepared,” Hoyer said of the holiday weekend. “All in all it wasn’t as busy as it could’ve been.”
According to Oakdale Rural Fire Protection District Deputy Chief, Rob Hoyer, engines had been staffed at the reservoir as standard procedure for the annual fireworks display on the water but saw the illegal variety go into the air and then catch the grass on fire.
“It burnt to Dorsey Road,” Hoyer said. “Our engines just happened to be out there and witnessed the fire start.”
Saturday night in the city, firefighters responded to a small grass fire in a vacant lot on Maxwell Avenue at 10 p.m. that may have been started by fireworks as the timing was right, but the actual cause has not been determined, said Oakdale City Fire Marshal Rick Fields.
“We were pretty busy for a period between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. patrolling for illegal fireworks,” Fields said.
But while there were plenty of pretty explosions, there were no citations given and no injuries reported.
There was a drowning Friday in Waterford when a 17-year-old boy dove into a canal and never resurfaced and a two-boat collision at Woodward Reservoir that same day with six injured but only one injured seriously enough to warrant a trip to the hospital.
“It was busy but we were well prepared,” Hoyer said of the holiday weekend. “All in all it wasn’t as busy as it could’ve been.”
