Hayden fire cause attributed to illegal aerial fireworks

HAYDEN — Two people lost their home Thursday after neighbors set off illegal fireworks.

Northern Lakes Fire District and Kootenai County Sheriff deputies arrived at the 2700 W Ashland Lane to discover a home fully engulfed by fire. 

Chris Larson, Northern Lakes Fire public information officer, said the homeowners awoke to knocking and banging on the door at 11:12 p.m. as people alerted them their house was on fire. 

A large batch of illegal fireworks were being fired in the street by neighbors and ignited the front of the home. 

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said, “A person, or persons, using illegal fireworks are responsible criminally and civilly for any damage caused by the use of illegal fireworks. I am grateful the occupants were alerted and were not injured in this fire.” 

There were also “Roman candle fights” taking place involving both minors and adults across the street from the home that caught fire. 

“They had an arborvitae type of shrub that caught, then went up through the eaves into the attic space and ran through the whole top of the house throughout,” Larson said. 

He said witness reports indicate there were several unsafe practices taking place.  

“It is a lesson for people about fireworks. Minors were using Roman candles, holding them in their hands,” Larson said. 

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is handling the investigation of the fire. 

The couple displaced by the fire stayed with neighbors last night and have family in the area. 

Larson said firefighters brace for these types of scenarios each Fourth of July and that “safe and sane” fireworks that remain closer to the ground are the only option offering a more cautious approach.