Police: Fireworks ban is working

Fire crews in Kennewick and Pasco responded to a handful of brush fires on July 4th... and police responded to some fireworks complaints, despite a years-old ban on the devices. Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg says overall, the ban is working.

"I can think back prior to the law going into effect, it seemed like every year we would have at least one apartment complex where the actual structure would catch fire," he said. "We had some major fires in Kennewick prior to the ban."

Hohenberg says for the most part, Kennewick residents are voluntarily complying with the fireworks ban, but says there are always those who will push the limits.

"The bigger risk is always that as a result of that you  catch somebody else's property on fire, or damage somebody else's property, and there's a lot of consequences that go along with that," Hohenberg said.

While Pasco and Kennewick have a complete ban on fireworks, they each offer community fireworks displays for the public, and Hohenberg says the community is taking advantage of that. He says his agency is estimating that between 12,000 and 15,000  people were at Columbia Park Monday to enjoy the community fireworks display. He said despite the high numbers, there were no major issues or arrests at the park.