Albuquerque fire marshals release July 4 fireworks report
Albuquerque firefighters logged 877 fireworks calls to 311 in one night, as marshals released a July 4 report and county officials weighed tougher enforcement.
Albuquerque fire marshals have released their July 4 fireworks report as city and county officials assess how much illegal fireworks use still spilled into neighborhoods across Bernalillo County. The holiday response came as Albuquerque Fire Rescue logged 877 calls to 311 about fireworks throughout Fourth of July night, a sign of how quickly complaints can stack up when enforcement and public warnings meet a busy holiday.
The numbers matter because Bernalillo County and Albuquerque have spent weeks warning residents about illegal fireworks and the fire danger that comes with them. In unincorporated Bernalillo County, prohibited fireworks include anything that goes higher than 10 feet in the air or travels outside a six-foot circumference. Bernalillo County Fire & Rescue also has six field deputy fire marshals, with two on duty 24 hours a day, a staffing level that shows how much of the holiday response depends on a small enforcement team.
Lt. Robert Arguelles said the risk rises fast when fireworks are used in dry summer conditions. “Anytime you’re going to mix the extra fun of fireworks and high temperatures in low moistures in the fuels, it’s a recipe for a possibility,” Arguelles said. That warning framed the county’s push to keep illegal fireworks out of residential areas where a single spark can quickly turn into a brush fire or house fire.
The holiday report gives officials a way to test whether that messaging is changing behavior, but the broader pattern still suggests pressure on fire crews before and during July 4. Jason Fejer said Albuquerque had already seen 16 outside fires on July 1, and the next two days brought about 24 more. That climb, paired with the 311 call volume, points to a holiday period in which complaints and outdoor fire responses remained high even before the main fireworks night.
For Bernalillo County and Albuquerque, the report is more than a holiday recap. It is a planning tool for deciding where enforcement needs to be stronger, where public messaging needs to be clearer, and how much coverage deputy fire marshals can realistically provide before next summer.
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