Illegal fireworks

[Joe Schwab]

Now I'm as patriotic as anyone out here and I love the 4th of July.. Many fond memeries of blowing up my Dad's lawn with M80s. But Gomer, Opie and Billie Bob overdid it last night lighting up the sky and thumping the country with mortars and sky bursts. Finally at 11:30 PM I could not stand it anymore and called the Columbia County SO. The dispatcher told me they were scrambing to find the source, either Clark County or Columbia County. She agreed it was way out of control. Did anyone else hear this?

I hope for my neighbors' sake that this year none of them get too rambunctious with impressing their kids. Last year we came home to burned out bottle rockets on the roof. Even back when I was growing up that was grounds for a tongue lashing and permanent fireworks confiscation.

I wish people would at least confine fireworks to their own property and do on the 4th, then let it go. OK Gomer?

Have a happy and sane 4th. By way of looking back, my oldest son was born 43 years ago on the 5th of July. My wife was in labor for 36 hours (ouch) and I sat in the hospital watching all the fireworks victims get hauled in. I'll bet some of them still remember it also.

[Pete]

Today's newspaper is full of ads for fireworks ... and those ads are full of "not legal in Oregon" disclaimers. So, why buy an ad in the Oregonian, eh?

[northriver1]

My 12 year old black lab agrees with you Mr. Hook.

[STGRule]

I have actually been amazed this year. Very little illegal stuff and only for an hour or so after dark. It's been very peaceful around here so far (knock on wood).

[husker]

oh common its only 4 days...let them have there fun...i have 2 dogs that werent happy last night either....but it is a right passed down from our forefathers........the bombs bursting in air..... :grin:

[PapaHog]

Capt Hook's neighbor may not read the "Not Legal in Oregon" disclaimer.

I know mine don't read the disclaimer, in fact I wonder if some of my neighbors can read. :whazzup:

[jigmaster]

oh common its only 4 days

and 10k injuries later
When I lived in Vancouver WA it went on for 4 weeks

[Swamp Puppy]

i heard some explosions last night...i say, let the boys play.

[Joe Schwab]

OK what street do you live on? I'll bring some over at 11:30.

[STGRule]

That'd be great if none of their "toys" end up in my yard. I just hate it when I find things on or next to my house that were still burning when they landed. I have a few "reminders" of that feeling. I kinda like my house and my stuff. And I'd rather it wasn't taken away from me.

I love fireworks. The bigger the louder the better. Just not next door.

[wannacatchem]

I heard those through the open window as I drifted off to sleep last night. Reminded me of.....victory!

Until my 120lb lab tearing the garage apart woke me up again.......I can't pick up his nitey-nite drugs until Monday. Is it wrong to force feed Jack Daniels so he'll sleep thru the pre-celebrations?

[Swamp Puppy]

OK what street do you live on? I'll bring some over at 11:30.

bring 'em on!!! you can join in with the rest of them. lol.

[husker]

ok come on over ...i have a few we can shoot them off together....:-)

[Jennie@ifish]

Usually we have nothing, but the last few days someone is playing with dynamite around here!
No kidding! Huge blasts, and I don't think it's the Forest Service!

Jen

[Fast Water]

Someone was goiung nuts with some large fireworks last night for sure. It wasn't in Woodland maybe across the river?

It finally stopped around 11:45. It was a long ways off and loud.

[The Chub]

oh common its only 4 days...let them have there fun...i have 2 dogs that werent happy last night either....but it is a right passed down from our forefathers........the bombs bursting in air..... :grin:

[sunshinefisherman]

Unfortunatly, the day after the 4th is a workday for most and the fireworks till midnight thing is a bit much.
If my neighbors across the creek do that again this year I may take the inserts out of my Harley before leaving for work at 6 AM. I may need to let it warm up for a while too . . .

Last year there were mortar casings all over my yard, roof, etc.

[Herring Impaired]

So, why buy an ad in the Oregonian, eh?

Because there are a lot of Oregonian subscribers right here in Clark County Washington! I used to be one....

AND, they know that they will have plenty of Oregon residents that will cross the river to buy....

[DAB]

Jen,
That was RP(Ryan Pultz) and I fishing down at the bridge.
DAB

[Bill Monroe]

So, why buy an ad in the Oregonian, eh?

:shocked: :whazzup: :tongue:




Actually, I've supported fun fireworks in the past in my driveway, but not after, say, 10 p.m...ok, maybe 10:30.

And then MY dogs lit up for most of the night...

I agree with Joe (how 'bout THEM apples!).
That late and two days early is rude in addition to illegal.

(Told my son we weren't gonna do that anymore, too.)

[Jettin' Fool]

What scares me is all the hillbilly's making home made fireworks! You see it on the news every year.

The last thing I want is a neighbor lighting off Acetylene filled balloons!

JF

[MikeT]

You're right to be scared of the homemade fireworks.
A few years ago my next door neighbor was out back enjoying a barbecue when the next neighbor over set off a homemade "firecracker". A piece of metal went through the cedar fence and through the guy's leg, breaking the bone and causing him to nearly bleed to death. Cops and ambulances show up. The guy responsible was really sorry, (don't know if he had to deal with the criminal justice system but he deserved some jail time IMO) but Bruce had to spend a few days in the hospital, miss a month of work, and live in a cast for a couple months.
Since then I have zero tolerance....bring that stuff around my home and I call the cops.

Mike

[IDWITHELD]

July 5th news highlights:

Burned homes of jokers playing with fireworks
Burned homes of jokers neighbors
Field burns and grassland fires
Missing fingers from jokers (who know answers as "lefty")
Animal injuries and missing pets from fireworks.

The thing that gets me the worst is I'm on def con 1 for property fires because my jerk neighbors insist on having "live fire" exercises with illegal fireworks. I'm talking the "shock and awe" fireworks package here!

And where is the police response.
Then I have to get up at 5:00am to go to work on the 5th.

Shoot, last night I could not get to sleep until 1:00am because of the sporatic (neighborhood) pipe-bombs. Then I have to get up at 3:00 to go fishing.
Yup, I'm grumpy right now.

I'm really looking forward to the 4th.
Happy 4th of july and be careful and considerate out there.

[pnwcoast]

I say ban em' all, Show your support at the polls

my dog thanks you

And when my dog is gone, I hope you have a stronger pet than I did.

[Swamp Puppy]

9:46pm here....

and the rockets red glare....lol.

[WheresMyBobber]

I like fireworks as much as the next person, even the ones they sell in Washington (but I don't buy them).

What gets me though is people just don't use common sense even with the legal ones. I can't count how many brush and grass fires I've been on, including some that have spread to houses, just people don't use their head when they pick a place to light their fireworks. PLEASE use good judgement and keep a hose handy. You'd be surprised what a couple sparks will do to a row of arbovitae!

[MattPark]

The last thing I want is a neighbor lighting off Acetylene filled balloons!

Just be glad balloons and big black plastic garbage bags (don't ask) don't send lethal shrapnel everywhere.

I've heard 8-10 loud booms in the few minutes I've been reading this. It's late. Save some for tomorrow.

I just want to know where they got the stuff. I couldn't find anything good at the reservation today

[husker]

Acetylene filled balloons!...now those are fun.....kaBOOM!!!......we used put them under guys tables who were welding...there sparks would light them off......kinda funny when joe comes unglued flying out of his both...LM@0....

[Bill Monroe]

Few years back, we were on a Washington beachfront (meadow with a single tree, safe clear area on one side and Columbia River on the other) watching the neighbors. They were talking about the year before when one of their number filled an air mattress with acetylene, hung it in the tree and started firing bottle rockets at it.
When it went, rattled windows for about a quarter mile radius..Homeowners met later and banned acetylene on the 4th...
Always kind of admired that kind of chutzpah, but recoil at the consequences and am relieved we lived at least 50 miles away.

[BigSkyHunter]

Here in Montana you can get just about anything either in town or on the Reservation. I have seen several out of staters hauling stuff back.

[tnj8222]

i live in renton if you go up to muckleshoot reservation you can get almost anything.... you have to know somebody to get the bigs booms though..... everybody be safe and have a great 4th of july......remember if you want a lot of fireworks or anything big... go see a show dont start one!!!

[sinker]

Just spent the week in Montana and Wyoming, didn't hear any fireworks till we came home last night.

Still pretty quiet around here. Things usually go on the 4th until about 3am. Glad I don't work day shift...............

[Joe Schwab]

Always kind of admired that kind of chutzpah, but recoil at the consequences and am relieved we lived at least 50 miles away.

Chutzpah??? I didn't know that was another word for delayed development syndrome.

[Maverick Maxcat]

The 4th was always the day I thinned out the local crow population back when I lved in town. Hot loads of 7 1/2's fired straight up. It was deadly on 30 yd birds, the falling shot was harmless, and the 12 ga boom blended right in with the rest of the neighborhood noise. If you really want to impress someone, fire a 300 RUM off your deck or roof down into the ground, especially if you have a muzzle brake. Even M-80's can't compare!

[PapaHog]

I have not been a fan of fire works. My dog hates them. My neighbors love them. I am on my dogs side in his hatred of fireworks. I will take him out of town tomorrow night for a road trip that will last til at least 2am. Should be done by then. I hope.

[Jennie@ifish]

Used to be a fan of fireworks until my big brother threw some at me, while I was in the fort. Burned my eyebrow off, and it was so loud in there, that I'm ruined for life!

We made a really neat fort, complete with a basement with an old swing set. It was a cool A frame, with shingles, even!

Big brothers are not nice people until they grow up a bit.

Lesson learned for five year old. "Do NOT hide from your brother when he's trying to beat you up. Just take it."

Jen

[Norski]

Many a year ago, I don't know why my parents let me do what ever, but for my brothers, 6 years younger, on the forth, mom & dad and them out in the front yard, they were lighting sparklers, on of the bro's, through one up into the air, it came down and went down my moms blouse, she had a scar across her breast for the rest of her life, so be careful, and that was the end to all fireworks at there home.

[FishinTechnician]

Back in the days when fireworks were legal here my brothers and cousins and I were up in the timbered hills behind Scappoose setting off fireworks. My older brother threw the equivalent of an M-80 into a brush pile and when it went off the whole brush pile went up in flames like it had been doused with gasoline. Temperature and humidity were just right for a fire. You never saw a bunch of kids move so fast throwing dirt on that fire to contain it. I shudder to think, some 50 years later, what would have happened to us had we not been successful getting that fire out.

[fish_on]

I stopped at the rez in WA a few weeks ago and got some nice biguns' now I just need a great place to let'em rip. Thinking the beach by my rental in Columbia City would work nice. Capt hook come on over.

[boater]

i live in renton if you go up to muckleshoot reservation you can get almost anything.... you have to know somebody to get the bigs booms though.....

i live in seatac and its like a war zone here, i think all our neighbors stopped out there.

[Okie]

I live in a place where I can see illegal fireworks going off all over the area now. It's like the police can not inforce the laws on illegal fireworks, there is to many people violating the law and doing it anyway. They have been going off for more than a hour now and I expect they will continue late into the night. So I have to get some sleep and get up early tomorow and go fishing and forget fireworks. (I'm not calling the police and report any of them)

Good Luck;

[Ryan Pultz]

We live up on the side of Mt.Talbet and can see the entire Portland area it was like a war zone tonight I can only imagine all the money Oregonians spend in Washington this month. it was pretty awesome we could see three different shows Lake O Oaks Park and Downtown Portland and then all the illegal's going off all over the valley rp

[FishinTechnician]

Far worse last night than last year in the old neighborhood. Total disregard for the law and consideration for one's neighbor. Fortunately the new pup was oblivious to it all.

[Troutinator]

guess we traded neighborhoods FT... last year I lived where it was like the Revolutionary War was being re-enacted. In my front yard. This year, a mere 2 miles from the old place, a few fountains, a few whistling pete's and not much else. At 9:30 everyone loaded up and drove down to watch the fireworks from the St. Paul Rodeo(best show south of PDX). The neighborhood was deserted until about 11pm when they all rolled back in.
What a difference a couple miles can make!

[sunshinefisherman]

Few years back, we were on a Washington beachfront (meadow with a single tree, safe clear area on one side and Columbia River on the other) watching the neighbors. They were talking about the year before when one of their number filled an air mattress with acetylene, hung it in the tree and started firing bottle rockets at it.
When it went, rattled windows for about a quarter mile radius..Homeowners met later and banned acetylene on the 4th...
Always kind of admired that kind of chutzpah, but recoil at the consequences and am relieved we lived at least 50 miles away.

I got myself expelled from High School (1974) for blowing off around 20 Oxy-Acetlyne balloons on graduation night.

Sure had fun doing it though. Those suckers are LOUD!

[Joe Schwab]

My neighbor hasn't gotten up yet but I have a handful of spent rocket cases from my back yard and two still on my roof. I guess we will have a talk.

Like I said when I started this, I don't dislike fireworks. But what person in his right mind is going to fire them off over someone elses house?

I like to keep peace with my neighbors and I'm quite sure they will understand when I diplomatically explain the problem. If they don't, well there are ways of getting even I haven't even thought about yet. And they are not illegal!

[FishinTechnician]

Joe, was kind of hoping things would be a little quieter out in CC. We'll have to team up next year and devise a strategy to encourage the neighbor's to do otherwise next year. Maybe that officer that lives in the neighborhood could provide us with some patrol coverage next year. Close on the new house tomorrow and will start moving in Monday.

[Herring Impaired]

I for one am impressed. Washington had a new law in place this year, and almost as if right on cue at Midnight last night, the fireworks quit. Until then though, Wow!

Last year it went on until about 2:30 in the morning!

[Chrome Bumper]

My dog sprang a leak.

[hawgcatcher]

Watched a neighbor shoot off all kinds of illegal fireworks last night. Over half of them landed in neighbor's yards, trees and rooftops. I kept waiting for a fire and I did see him run with a bucket once to another neighbors yard. They went every direction.

What gets me is this guy is on disability and his family lives on that check and his wife's menial job check. They shot off well over a hundred dollars worth of the big stuff. I like to celebrate the fourth too but enough is enough.