Friday, July 11, 2008

Fright Night calls drop dramatically

By Dan Hilborn
Published Nov. 2, 2005


Burnaby firefighters were more than pleased by a major reduction in the number of calls they received on Halloween night, following the imposition of new fireworks regulations in the city this year.

"The busiest night was Halloween when we got 14 calls," chief public information officer Fred Scarfe said Tuesday morning. "We had half a dozen dumpster fires, one mailbox fire, one in a playground and one bush fire.

"That's actually not too bad," said Scarfe, who noted that city fire inspectors spent much of their time in the week prior to Oct. 31 checking up on firework vendors to make sure they complied with the new bylaw.

In September, city council enacted new rules that require all fireworks to be sold in family packs with no more than 30 per cent Roman candles or noisemakers.

Scarfe noted that a majority of vendors were in compliance with the rules, and follow-ups were done with any seller who appeared to be unhappy with the bylaw, which included limits on the size of signs advertising their locations.

Last year, Burnaby firefighters responded to 41 calls on Halloween night, including one fire that caused more than $1.6 million in damage to a townhouse complex on Burnaby Mountain where fireworks activity was reported to have been extensive.

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