"We actually found the mortar rounds at the Blue Lake Fire. The fireworks box itself caught fire while we were there." — GCFD 7 Chief Erick Brittain 

SOAP LAKE — As Grant County Fire District 7's engines rolled down Main Avenue during Soap Lake's Fourth of July parade, firefighters waved to families lining the streets while candy flew from open truck windows and brush rigs sprayed spectators baking in the summer heat.

Then the sirens came on.

Before crews could even complete the parade route, they were turning their trucks around and heading toward the first reported brush fire of the day, west of town.

For the firefighters, the call marked the end of the holiday celebration and the beginning of what would become one of the busiest nights in recent memory, according to Chief Erick Brittain. 

By the next morning, the district had responded to 20 brush fire-related calls, battled multiple large fires simultaneously, requested mutual aid from neighboring agencies and helped protect homes from a fast-moving wildfire that threatened parts of Soap Lake.

Earlier that day, firefighters, volunteers, cadets and command staff gathered at the station for a barbecue and final preparations for the Fourth of July festivities. The afternoon was relatively slow, with crews handling only two medical calls.

But fire officials were already concerned.

During a 7 p.m. briefing before the parade, Brittain discussed the red flag warning that had been issued for the area and the possibility of canceling the community fireworks to show if weather conditions did not improve.

"We were waiting to see if the winds would die down," Brittain said. "Historically, sometimes they do later in the evening."

Instead, conditions worsened.

The first fire reported during the parade was quickly controlled, thanks in part to a homeowner who had pre-positioned water and dozer lines around the property. But more calls followed.

At 9:26 p.m., firefighters extinguished a front yard fire in Soap Lake. Less than 20 minutes later, crews were dispatched to another reported fire near the local golf course, though no fire was found. Then, another blaze was reported near Coulee City, prompting district personnel to join mutual aid efforts.

Across Grant County, emergency traffic continued to increase.

At one point during the evening, approximately 14 active brush fires were reported countywide, according to GCFD 7 Captain Jake Friesen.

"We were getting dispatched (to) call after call after call," Brittain said.

As firefighters responded to a remote brush fire near Blue Lake, navigating dirt roads and rough terrain, additional reports began coming in from Soap Lake of a rapidly-spreading fire later dubbed the Maple Street Fire. 

Driven by strong winds, the fire pushed toward homes on Second Avenue and immediately became the district's top priority.

GCFD 13 and the Ephrata Fire Department were called in to assist. Fire apparatus was strategically positioned between the fire and nearby homes while crews worked to establish containment lines.

Around 11:40 p.m., a shift in the wind pushed the fire away from structures. Crews reported the fire under control 10 minutes later, but the victory was short-lived. 

By 12:10 a.m., winds had increased and embers jumped containment lines, reigniting portions of the fire. The chief requested an “all call” for mutual aid resources as firefighters continued working through the night.

"We just didn't have the manpower to completely mop it up right away," Brittain said. "The winds kept pushing embers across our containment lines."

Crews cycled through brief rest periods while others remained on the fire lines. 

“I was up from 5:30 a.m. Saturday until 1:30 a.m. Monday night, fighting these fires,” Friesen said. 

Friesen said the fires stayed constant throughout the weekend, keeping himself and the crew busy.

“This was a tall ask for a lot of our crew. They are almost all volunteers, besides our captains and myself,” Brittain said. “They would take a little nap before hopping back onto a fire line.” 

Despite the challenging conditions, firefighters stopped the Maple Street fire's forward progress toward homes by approximately 1:45 a.m. The incident entered mop-up operations later that morning after burning around 250 acres, according to the chief. 

No structures were lost.

A resident whose home had been threatened thanked Friesen during the incident, telling him, "I just want to thank you for being so on top of this."

According to Brittain, investigators determined both the Blue Lake and the Maple Street fires were caused by fireworks, as many of the calls throughout the night were. 

"We actually found the mortar rounds at the Blue Lake Fire," he said. "The fireworks box itself caught fire while we were there." 

That fire eventually required aerial support and hand crews Sunday.

The district ultimately responded to 28 fire-related dispatches over the holiday period, according to Brittain. Some calls turned out to be duplicates from residents observing the same fires from different locations, but each report still required crews to investigate.

"We had every piece of apparatus staffed," Brittain said. 

The overwhelming number of firework-related incidents ultimately led officials to cancel Soap Lake's scheduled commercial fireworks display.

Brittain said the decision was made jointly with the event's pyrotechnics technician after crews became overwhelmed by emergency calls and winds remained dangerously high.

"It's all about safety," he said. “We didn’t have enough staff to safely staff the fireworks show and handle all of the other calls.” 

District officials are now exploring the possibility of rescheduling the show.

For the 12 GCFD 7 firefighters who were on the lines, the Fourth of July ended not with fireworks, family gatherings or celebrations, but with smoke-stained gear, exhausted crews and another reminder of how quickly a holiday tradition can become an emergency.

"It takes a toll," Brittain said. "But our crew did an amazing job and rose to the occasion on a very challenging night."

    Fourth of July parade attendees enjoy getting sprayed by brush trucks prior to the engines leaving the parade due to various fire calls.  

    Grant County Fire District 7 staff and volunteers pose for a photo in front of “Judy,” one of the tenders. The department responded to 20 different brush fires in their area on Saturday.  

    Grant County Fire District 7 volunteer Evan Bolyard works on filling a brush truck as another fire comes in on the scanner on the Fourth of July.