Photo by George Kunke - There were plenty of displays of Old Glory on the Long Beach Peninsula during the Fourth of July holiday.
SOUTH BEND - The citizens of South Bend, Raymond, and our neighbors to the south, Long Beach, pretty much observed the law on fireworks and for the most part put on their face masks when out and about during Fourth of July weekend. People had fun with the fireworks and maintained safety.
"Things went fairly well over the Fourth," South Bend Police Chief Lucas Stigall told the Herald. "Surprisingly, South Bend had very few actual 'firework complaints' this year compared to past years. I think our biggest problem has been fireworks leading up to the third and fourth, and since people do not realize they are only legal in the city limits on those two days."
On the governor's order to wear face masks, Stigall said, "South Bend PD is emphasizing on education when it comes to wearing face masks."
Chief Stigall added that recent crime during the coronavirus pandemic has not really increased as it has in many cities, especially in relation to domestic violence. "In South Bend, we have not seen a surge in domestic violence calls, but rather more drunk and disorderly calls during Covid-19."
Like, South Bend, there were a lot of fireworks shot off in Raymond, but overall, citizens followed the law.
"Looks like we had a half dozen or so fireworks calls," Raymond Police Chief Chuck Spoor told the Herald. "The officers were busy but nothing major. We haven't had any mask issues."
Long Beach was festive but tamer than it has been in several years.
"Overall, I was pleased with the Fourth," Long Beach Police Chief Flint Wright told the Herald Monday afternoon. "I noticed on the beach that the people were spread out farther north than in years past. Usually the mass of people starts to decrease around 26th North on the beach. This year the mass of people continued well past Cranberry Road approach. How far I don't know. I can't say if this was due to COVID-19 issues or the fact that Long Beach did not have a show this year, so people were not bunched up down by Bolstad. One thing for sure there was not the foot traffic down the approaches this year. That had to be due to not having a show.
"During the day, there were lots of people shopping and motels were full," Wright added. "We had one domestic violence arrest on Saturday and lots of little calls, but nothing major. No citations were issued for not wearing masks and we did not get complaints about people in businesses refusing to wear a mask. Overall, I have to say that it did not feel like a July 4th on a Saturday. I am not complaining about that. People were in a good mood, but I do think that there was also a feeling of concern over the virus. That was just a feeling to me that I got."
Statewide in 2019, the Washington State Fire Marshal's Office (SFMO) received 349 reports of fireworks-related incidents by hospitals, clinics, and fire agencies in Washington State. Fireworks-related incidents most often occur on the Fourth of July.
Below is a breakdown of incidents for 2019.
* 269 injuries reported; up nearly 30 percent from the previous year.
* 80 fires reported due to fireworks use, resulting in a loss of $564,900.
* 98 injuries were caused by holding on to fireworks after lighting them.
* 51 of the 80 fires were classified as wildland or vegetation.