The 2024 Independence Day fireworks season was busier than the previous year for the Scottsbluff Fire Department.
Fire Prevention Officer Chris Perales Jr. says between June 25th and the 4th of July, firefighters responded to eight fireworks-related calls, double the number from 2023.
On the 4th alone, Scottsbluff Fire was called out a total of 18 times, six of them for fireworks, with both figures a double over the previous year according to Perales. Three of the other calls involved trash/rubbish fires, and three more were for vegetation fires.
He also says about 100 pounds of illegal fireworks were seized this year due to vendors receiving them in error from their suppliers. Those items are destroyed by the department’s bomb technicians in a controlled environment.
