Discarded fireworks in a garbage can caused a garage fire in Wauconda Sunday night, sending a firefighter to the hospital, authorities said.
The Wauconda Fire District was called to the 400 block of Grand Boulevard at 11:58 p.m. and found smoke and fire in the detached garage, according to a news release issued by the fire district. The fire was extinguished within a half an hour, it said.
A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released, according to Wauconda Fire District Lieutenant Bill Hoover.
“The estimated loss from the fire is $20,000,” the release stated. “Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be discarded fireworks in a garage can.”
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported “a major increase” has been experienced recently in calls regarding illegal fireworks, consistent with the past several Fourth of July weekends.
Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Monday that the sheriff’s office has not yet responded to any serious incidents involving fireworks, but cautioned that in addition to causing injuries each year, fireworks are also commonly implicated in structure and house fires around Independence Day.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal surveys hospitals annually for a four-week period surrounding the July 4 holiday. Results from last year showed an increase in firework-related injuries from 2015. The report showed that the number of amputation and dismemberments related to fireworks increased 150 percent, and reports of hearing loss increased 400 percent.
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Approximately a fourth of the injured people required some hospitalization, the report said. Although most of the injuries were to adults over the age 22, about 13 percent were to children under the age of six, and 12 percent were children ages 11 to 16, the report said.
“The (Wauconda) Fire District reminds everyone to not use fireworks as they are not only dangerous, but illegal in Illinois,” the release said. “The number of structure fires goes up tremendously this time of year due to the use of fireworks nationwide.”
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun. Staff writer Jim Newton contributed to his report.