Kalispell resident Ron Booth was startled by the sound of two kids knocking at his door of his Denver Avenue home around 9:30 p.m. on the evening of July Fourth.

When Booth answered the door, he saw that a fire had consumed a shrub in his front yard and jumped to the vinyl siding on the front of his house, which sits near the intersection of Bismark Street.

Booth said a runaway firework caused the fire, and although he grabbed a hose and attempted to douse the flames, they continued to spread until the arrival of the Kalispell Fire Department. Both he and his dog came away from the blaze unscathed, Booth said.

A Kalispell ordinance prohibits the use of fireworks within city limits, with violators subject to fines. “Please respect this law that was created for the safety and well being of the community,” reads a post on the city website.

Booth on Wednesday morning was effusive in his praise of the responding firefighters, saying they made sure he was safe and that the house was properly boarded up after squelching the fire.

“I’m really impressed with the first responders,” he said, describing their efforts as going “above and beyond.”

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.