Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Fourth fireworks end on 5th

Vandalism, misdemeanors and smoke taint celebration


By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer

Fire crews extinguished a fire in the canal west of Hop Porter Park Monday during the Hailey Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July Picnic, following the holiday parade. Police closed the road to Croy Canyon for an hour, but music, food and festivities were interrupted only briefly. Photo by Willy Cook

If the Hailey Fourth of July fireworks seemed to peter out after an extensive show, you probably didn't wait out the intermission.

The Blaine County Sheriff's blotter reported too many calls to count early Tuesday morning, after the Hailey Fire Department authorized Elite Pyrotechnics, of Rexburg, to rewire numerous remaining tubes of rockets for the grand finale of the Hailey fireworks show and then fire them into the sky, starting around midnight. The rockets sent loud booms through eastern Hailey, shaking neighborhoods near Wood River High School into the wee hours of July 5.

"It's plain dangerous to get (the rockets) back out of the tubes," said Hailey Assistant Fire Chief Carl Hjelm, who noted that firing the remnant rockets after the close of the official show is an annual event. "The wiring chases (triggers) were damaged."

Hjelm said Elite Pyrotechnics had to let things cool down before making repairs and launching the remainder of the nearly 2,000 fireworks planned for the celebration.

"We realize there was some impact to the community. We didn't want to put the workers or the firefighters in more danger," Hjelm said, apologetic for the impact on neighbors. "The base of a show like that is a pretty violent place."

The launch site was not the only place in town that was out of sorts over the weekend.

"I love July 5th," said Hailey Police Chief Brian McNary, taking a break outside City Hall in the parking lot, where black plastic and duct tape fashioned a replacement for a broken rear window of a police cruiser vandalized over the weekend.

McNary said the day after the holiday he was working to get to the bottom of how two police cars parked behind City Hall were vandalized Saturday night. McNary said he feels the destruction to public property is lower than any burglary and hopes those responsible will own up to restitution rather than face criminal charges.

"We have five very good suspects."

Hailey police were kept busy all weekend investigating reports ranging from public nudity to illegal firework explosions. Patrolmen made battery arrests and investigated reports of stolen bicycles, a missing child, a child custody dispute, domestic verbal abuse and report of a fight that broke out at the Snow Bunny drive-in restaurant.

Finally, police responded to reports of unruly bar patrons and a pedestrian injured after being hit by a car. The injured person was transported to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center. Two juveniles were detained for possessing drug paraphernalia when police went in search of a nude man reported to be roaming Heagle Park.

During the Hailey Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July Picnic following the parade, a fire broke out along the canal on the west side of Hop Porter Park.

"We had to do traffic control for at least an hour," McNary said. He added that after the Hailey Fire Department put out the brush fire it flared up again, but mutual aid had come in as backup. The Fire Department was kept busy with a number of small riparian area blazes Monday.

There were 16 pages of entries on the police blotter.

"It was one of the worst Fourth's I've ever seen in terms of sheer volume," McNary said, adding, however, that he was pleased with how well the parade went.

"Gary Coats did a hell of a job," he said.

McNary said, despite the busy weekend, his staff managed to have the windshield replaced on the department's vandalized SUV Sunday night, making it presentable for the parade.




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