Two separate Montgomery County fires sparked by July 4th fireworks as local fire departments receive hundreds of calls – NBC4 Washington

Even though the Fourth of July is now over, the celebrations – and fireworks – continue throughout the weekend.

Local fire departments have already had a busy night. The D.C. Fire Command Center, located at the 16th Fire Company, responded to a total of 835 calls.

DC Fire and EMS says that's more than three times the usual number of calls they receive on a normal day.

“The sun goes down and the informal fireworks really start, often illegal,” said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services. “We’re running from fire to fire putting out fires.”

298 of Thursday's calls were not related to emergency medical services, but were solely related to fires.

“A lot of these calls are for fire emergencies [were] “Probably related to fireworks – dumpster fires, brush fires, all kinds of miscellaneous outdoor fires,” Maggiolo said.

Police can't yet say how many of Thursday night's calls were related to fireworks, but at least two destructive fires in Montgomery County, Maryland, were caused by Independence Day festivities gone awry.

In Aspen Hill, Maryland, a house caught fire overnight. Photos taken by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue show the charred shell of the dining room, where flames burned through an entire wall.

The charred ashes exposed the interior of the home's kitchen and dining room as if it were a blackened dollhouse.

MCFRS said aerial fireworks caused the fire, which spread to the attic and garage, causing total damage of about $500,000.

Fortunately, no one was injured in this fire.

In Glenmont Forest, also in Montgomery County, abandoned fireworks caused a fire outside another home.

MCFRS photos showed burn marks on a brick wall as a firefighter hosed down an unidentifiable puddle of blackened mud.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire.

“We are ready for the weekend, [and] “We want to remind people that fireworks are illegal,” said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for MCFRS. “But more importantly, they cause injuries.”

The fireworks ban includes sparklers, which can reach 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit — an even greater danger in drought conditions like those seen in the DMV region this week.

Some areas of Maryland, including Charles County, have put burn bans in place until more storms flood the region.