A fireman’s dream is rain on the Fourth of July, said John Stettinger, battalion chief at the Great Bend Fire Department. The next best thing is the series of rains the Golden Belt has experienced leading into the explosive weekend.
“The rain has been a blessing,” he said.
As of late Friday afternoon, firefighters reported only one fireworks-related call. They extinguished a small grass fire at 2:56 p.m. in the 200 block of Plum St. But Stettinger was prepared for a busy evening, knowing most Fourth of July fires start later in the day. Extra staff were brought in to handle the expected workload.
There were plenty of fireworks going off, but the expected calls didn’t come. There was a false alarm at 6:43 p.m. in the 1900 block of Lincoln St.
Firefighters were called to stand by at the fireworks show at the Expo.
At 3:13 a.m. Saturday, a plastic bucket with spent fireworks caught fire in the alley behind 1620 Morton St. Smoldering fireworks set the bucket on fire as well as a tree stump.
Firefighters also responded to an alarm at 7:06 a.m. Saturday at 1300 Stone St., but found no fire.