Fires burn Redmond homes, but Bend Fourth of July ‘uneventful’

Published 2:30 pm Friday, July 5, 2024

The Fourth of July was relatively quiet for police and firefighters in Bend, but fires in Redmond and Terrebonne burned three homes.

In Bend, the Fourth was a “pretty uneventful day,” for law enforcement, Bend Police spokesperson Sheila Miller told The Bulletin.

Only four people were issued citations for driving under the influence of intoxicants, in addition to a few instances where minors were charged with underage drinking.

Officers did have to disperse a group of 50 teens lighting off fireworks on S. Century Drive. Overall, there were 12 calls and 60 emails reporting illegal fireworks, but no citations were issued. Alandra Johnson, spokesperson for St. Charles Health System, said only a few fireworks-related injuries came into the emergency room last night, and that “it doesn’t sound like it was a big issue at all.”

Bend’s official fireworks show has often ignited the brush on Pilot Butte, starting small fires. This year, however, it was simply the fireworks — and no fires — that lit up the butte, according to Bend Fire & Rescue.

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Redmond did not fare as well. At 1:30 a.m. Friday, a fire burned two homes in the 2100 block of NW Redwood Avenue after a man improperly disposed of used fireworks. Everyone escaped safely, and the fire was extinguished.

In Terrebonne, another fire damaged the exterior of a home on 10th Street and burned 1½ acres of a neighboring field. The homeowner, Clinton Decker, 57, was issued a citation for reckless burning after Redmond Fire Department instructed him to cease burning weeds earlier that day.

Due to escalating fire risk during the summer, debris burns have been banned since June 1. Fireworks are also heavily regulated. .

“With hot weather this weekend, I’d expect to see lots more calls for service,” Miller said regarding fireworks.

So far there has only been one fireworks citation since the city of Bend issued a ban on fireworks in 2021. The man, Daniel Ray Romero, 42, of Bend, had allegedly been reported for lighting illegal fireworks seven times before police seized more than $1,000 in illegal fireworks from his home. Romero pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of fireworks and was sentenced to 10 hours of community service and a $150 fine.

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