The Chicago Fire Department responded to more firework-related fires over the Fourth of July than it has in recent memory.
Firefighters extinguished 13 fires throughout the city that were caused by fireworks, according to CFD spokesman Larry Langford. The number is expected to climb as investigators confirm more fires.
Few were injured in the fires, though one man died while handling a firework on the Northwest Side.
Langford said it was shocking how many fires this year were caused by fire works.
“I’ve been monitoring them for 20 years, and I haven’t seen this many,” he said.
Most of the fires began on porches or garages and spread to homes, Langford said. At least one fire started in a dumpster. He said the fires were distributed through parts of the city.
“It was pretty widespread,” he said.
The day was capped by a man killed while handling a firework in the Hermosa neighborhood. When the man lit a firework that did not initially go off, the man stuck his head over it and it exploded, Langford said. Chicago hasn’t had that type of firework-related death in a couple years, he said.
Consumer fireworks are largely banned in Illinois. But that doesn’t stop residents from buying them in nearby firework-friendly states.
Firework use was expected to reach an all-time high over the Fourth, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association, which said the firework industry is now valued at $2.4 billion.
Nationally, more than 31,000 fires were attributed to firework use in 2022, according to the National Fire Protection Association. That included 3,504 structure fires, 887 vehicle fires and 26,492 outside fires. Six people died in the fires and 44 people were injured.