Valley Regional Fire Authority saw an increase in calls over the Fourth of July weekend compared to last year, according to Public Information Officer Kelly Hawks. From July 2-5, the Valley Regional Fire Authority received 198 calls, compared to 154 during the same period last year.

There was one structure fire on the Fourth of July at the Copper Gate Apartments in Auburn. A deck caught fire, but was put out by the building’s sprinkler system. The cause is unknown at this time.

In addition to the structure fire, the VRFA responded to five bark fires and 26 brush fires. All fires were promptly put out by firefighters. One of the brush fires was considered a two-alarm fire in order to get more resources and firefighters to the blaze. It’s not clear how many of those fires were started by fireworks.

The VFRA also responded to eight fireworks-related EMS calls of varying severity. One patient was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center due to their injuries.

The biggest uptick in calls came on July 2, when the VRFA received 41 calls compared to 27 last year. On the Fourth of July, they received 62 calls compared to 51 in the previous year.