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Before ESPN and the internet decimated Sports Illustrated, the glossy weekly used to be known for its cover jinx—teams or athletes featured for their greatness soon saw their fortunes decline.
In a vaguely related sense, that jinx cursed the personal fireworks ban city officials imposed in 2022.
Last week, WW noted that fires caused by personal fireworks dropped sharply after the ban took effect.
We spoke too soon. Portland Fire & Rescue spokesman Rick Graves says preliminary figures show at least 25 fires were caused by fireworks this year—two and a half times last year’s total.
“It’s disappointing that people couldn’t understand that we put a ban out there for the safety of the community,” Graves says. “And it’s disappointing that their concern for personal fireworks outweighed their concern for the safety of the neighbors.”
Graves says the Fourth of July culminated in an extraordinarily busy night for his colleagues, who responded to at least 50 fire calls on the evening of the Fourth. At one point, crews were stretched so thin that firefighters from downtown responded to a call at Southeast 90th Avenue and Sandy Boulevard.
“We were fortunate not to lose any structures or any lives,” Graves says of the busy evening.
With luck, next year will see fewer fires caused by fireworks and fewer trend stories from this reporter based on speculation and insufficient data.
Could have been worse—like the time I predicted Republicans were primed to take over Oregon politics.
