Crime & Safety
Hundreds In Bellevue Reported Illegal Fireworks With City App
Here's how many people were fined during Bellevue's crackdown on illegal fireworks this July 4.
BELLEVUE, WA — Bellevue's experiment in cracking down on illegal fireworks this year appears to have been a success.
The city received 153 reports of illegal fireworks via the city's app, MyBellevue. The city added the fireworks reporting feature this year to help police and firefighters catch scofflaws.
On top of the app reports, five people were given $1,000 fines, three people were given written warnings, and officers handed out "countless" verbal warnings, police said. NORCOM, the 911 dispatch center, saw a reduction in calls on July 4 as well.
Find out what's happening in Bellevuefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On the legal side, about 60,000 people attended the city's daylong Bellevue Family 4th at the Downtown Park.
July 4 wasn't without trouble in Puget Sound. Harborview Medical Center treated 36 people between July 3 and July 6 for fireworks-related injuries — including seven amputations. In a neighborhood east of Burien, a 70-year-old man died in a house fire that King County investigators determined was caused by fireworks.
Find out what's happening in Bellevuefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.