UPDATE: Wasco County Bans Fireworks amid Heatwave

Lighthouse Fireworks stand at the Safeway parking lot in The Dalles. A city ordinance was approved to ban fireworks through July 9th. Lighthouse’s Jonny Dela Garza was staffing the tent this morning. He said the firework sales are a fundraiser to earn money to install a new sidewalk at the Lighthouse Church, 2616 West 10th St. A recent city ban on fireworks does not stop their sale at stands such as these.

This Just In - June 30, 11 a.m. - The board of Wasco County Commissioners has passed a County-Wide Fire Ban for all of Wasco County. This includes fireworks until further notice.

By Tom Peterson - June 29, 2021

The City of Dalles is currently enacting a fireworks ban in the city limits through July 9 because of the historic heatwave the region is undergoing currently.

The decision by the City Council came after temperatures hit 117 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, June 28, the day of the City Council Meeting. Temperatures are expected to stay above 100 or in the high 90s for the next 10 days according to wunderground.com

The ban will have no effect on the Fort Dalles Fourth Fireworks that takes place on Sunday, July 4, and shoots fireworks over the Columbia River from a barge near the Union Street underpass. That show will go on as scheduled, providing residents of The Dalles with a spectacular aerial display.  

That event is sanctioned and permitted by the Oregon State Fire Marshal, and requires a large level of protection and safety.

Rather, the ban focuses on residents who purchase fireworks from local stands or other unsanctioned events. 

Council directed City Manager Julie Krueger to use the declaration that the City of Bend recently enacted. The City of The Dalles is banning fireworks through July 9 and makes the ignition of fireworks a Class-A civil infraction with a fine not to exceed $750.

Those receiving the fine will have the opportunity to go before the municipal judge. 

Councilor Tim McGlothlin said that those operating fireworks stands should be informed of the decision immediately. He also noted that churches in the past had depended on firework sales for fundraising. Firework Stands are still allowed to make sales.

Councilor Rod Runyon asked that the “not to exceed $750” be used in the emergency ban, noting that was a lot of money for families. 

“We need this in place to protect the city and our citizens,” said Councilor Darcy Long-Curtiss. 

“Conditions warrant a forceful declaration,” said Councilor Scott Randall.

Long-Curtiss made the motion to approve the declaration, and McGlothlin seconded it. It was then passed unanimously. Mayor Rich Mays, who does not vote unless there is a tie, also supported the emergency declaration during the discussion of the issue.

Mays said the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue as well as Wasco County are also looking at a joint statement to ask the public to refrain from lighting fireworks.

Police Chief Tom Worthy has directed the police department to educate offenders regarding the ban and seek voluntary compliance from our citizens and visitors, according to a City press release. As a last resort there is a fine for violation of the ban in an amount not to exceed $750.00. The city asks for your cooperation, compliance and understanding of this necessary action.

Lighting fireworks, such as these ground bloom flowers, has been banned in the City of The Dalles through an emergency ordinance. Councilors voted unanimously to do so after the region entered an extreme heatwave, what scientists are calling a 1,000-year-event.

Cities are Banning Fireworks throughout Oregon

Mosier 

The City of Mosier and Mosier Fire District is urging the Mosier Community and Fire District residents
to forgo the use of fireworks when celebrating the upcoming 4th of July holiday. In addition, campfires and fireworks are prohibited in the Rock Creek Area. The ban will remain in effect through September 30.

Hood River

Hood River City  Manager Rachel Fuller said Hood River is also banning fireworks with a declaration that is set to come out later today. 

“We’re putting it together now,” she said this morning. “Any type of fireworks ban enforcement is a difficult task. We are asking for the public's cooperation to keep everybody safe and keep emergency resources available to respond to the extraordinary heat event.” 

The Hood River Fireworks Display, which is permitted by the State Fire Marshal, is still scheduled for July 4th at 10 p.m. at the Hood River Event Site on the waterfront on Portway Avenue.

Many have noted the past destructive effects of fireworks in tinder-dry conditions. On Sept. 2, 2017, a 15-year-old lit off a firework on Eagle Creek Trail during a burn ban and ignited a 50,000-acre blaze that lasted three months and scorched thousands of trees, many still visible from Interstate 84.

White Salmon

White Salmon City Mayor Martha Keethler has declared an emergency and issued an order imposing a ban on the use of fireworks within White Salmon city limits for Sunday, July 4, 2021.

The cities of Portland, Vancouver, Bend, Camas, Washougal and Battle Ground all said Monday that they would prohibit residents from setting off fireworks.