Fireworks Suspected Cause Of Brush Fire

ORLEANS – A brushfire earlier this month in Kent’s Point is believed to have been caused by fireworks.

Orleans Fire Chief Geof Deering said the early morning fire on June 3 at the end of Keziahs Lane burned approximately 1.6 acres of wooded area. The fire prompted a significant mutual aid response from departments in Eastham, Chatham, Brewster and Harwich, he said.

“Because it was a wooded area that’s overgrown, it’s very labor intensive because you have to dig into where the fire is and soak it all down,” Deering said. “That’s what really drove the amount of help that we needed there.”

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Deering said fire officials are “pretty confident” that fireworks were involved in the incident. He said the department received numerous reports from people who said they heard fireworks going off in the area the night before.

With the Fourth of July just weeks away, Deering said the blaze is a reminder of the dangers that can come with illegal firework usage. In Massachusetts, all fireworks are illegal “unless done by licensed professionals at a sanctioned event,” he said. Those include the annual fireworks display at Rock Harbor and others held in towns throughout the Cape.

And while fireworks are legal in other states including New Hampshire, Deering noted that it remains illegal in Massachusetts to use fireworks legally obtained elsewhere.

“Our best recommendation is to go to sanctioned events in the community and on Cape Cod,” he said.

Police and fire officials field a lot of calls about fireworks during the Fourth of July holiday, Deering said. Residents and visitors who are found in possession of fireworks will have them confiscated, he said, adding that fines from the Orleans Police Department are also possible. More extreme offenses, such as the sale of fireworks, can result in jail time.

“It’s a risky time,” Deering said. “And the conditions are dry out there. It doesn’t take much for something to happen.”

For police and fire officials, the challenge during the Fourth of July and the days and weeks leading up to the holiday comes in balancing enforcement with an understanding that there will be fireworks around town in celebration of the holiday. But Deering emphasized the dangerous realities that can come with the unlicensed use of fireworks.

“Every year in Massachusetts, somebody gets hurt from fireworks,” he said. “There’s a fire caused by fireworks somewhere in the state. We would prefer it not to be here in Orleans.”

Email Ryan Bray at ryan@capecodchronicle.com