Heard those booms? Fireworks, police say

From the “in case you also wondered” file: We heard the two loud booms from the Lincoln Park area and mentioned them on Twitter; word of the booms then turned up on the scanner, and police affirmed to dispatchers that they were fireworks. (We’re hearing more, smaller ones, as we type.) This gives us reason to remind you that while fireworks of all kind are illegal in Seattle, they remain legal in the unincorporated area immediately south of West Seattle and go on sale at noon this Friday, so brace yourself. (Here’s the list of local fireworks rules for the whole state.)

Dennis June 27, 2013 (8:31 am)

Lots of fireworks near 59th Ave SW and Admiral last night around 10 PM. No matter what they say about illegal, people feel they are entitled to do fireworks regardless of fire danger and who they might potentially harm. Seems like the American way.

GoGo June 27, 2013 (9:16 am)

Why they bother calling them illegal when they do absolutely nothing about it is what I don’t understand.

BLB June 27, 2013 (9:18 am)

Scares my kid, my dog, my bladder…

JEM June 27, 2013 (11:04 am)

Time to refill the dog’s Xanax prescription! Might have to just take some myself.

Junctionite June 27, 2013 (11:52 am)

Agree, “illegal” is a joke, there is no enforcement whatsoever!

GetMeOuttaHere June 27, 2013 (1:43 pm)

What about the 5 fireworks that went off in rapid succession (read driveby) yesterday around 6p at Roxbury and 17th near the BofA? It distinctly smelled like burning gunpowder.

jiggers June 27, 2013 (1:46 pm)

Someone’s been setting off those md-80’s for years after midnight in the park. Of course, they happen more frequently in the summertime.

Halyn June 27, 2013 (2:53 pm)

I went to bed around 11 on Monday night, and just as I was drifting off, there was a massive BOOM. I jerked awake, thinking “Shotgun Blast!” for a second, before realizing that it was an M-80. The adrenalin from being awakened so abruptly took a good long while to die down, so I ended up with a pretty crappy night’s sleep. I really wish there was something that could be done about this sort of thing.

Driez206 June 27, 2013 (3:03 pm)

i’m a new dog owner, what have other people tried to help their puppies during 4th of july? can you really get them Xanax? i’m going to the vet this weekend anyways so maybe i’ll be able to do something about it then. I’m real nervous about it for the first time in my life. Thanks in advance for the help!

Kim June 27, 2013 (4:04 pm)

As a new mom, I’m also not looking forward to the sound of fireworks waking a sleeping baby for nights on end! It’s probably the first time ever that I’m not looking forward to the 4th of July. Oh well…this too shall pass, right? :)

wscommuter June 27, 2013 (5:45 pm)

I like fireworks.

Chill … it’s only for a few days.

CD June 27, 2013 (8:57 pm)

To Wscommuter, have you tried to chill when every five minutes form the 4th untill (this year, I predict) the 7th and then for the umpteenth tome ANOTHER m-80 goes off at 2am? On thurs night in my hood it will go on untill 4am. And then the weekend comes…so for 4 days and nights, we get no peace and the empty field across from my house is already dry and next week it’s gonna be even hotter and drier. I am in unicorporated and this just doesn’t happen on the 4th of July. So please a little sympathy for those of us that have dogs, or are pregnant or have small children at home or even people with disabilites that may be adversly affected by the constant disturbance. It’s not like were talking from 10:15 to 2am and then it’s over…and also as much as I love WSB, I had to cringe at the mention of it still being legal over here! We don’t need any help! ;)

m June 27, 2013 (10:40 pm)

@ Wscommuter – Just an FYI that the fireworks started going off in my neighborhood several nights ago. It’s usually a full month before it ends here.

datamuse June 27, 2013 (11:12 pm)

I like fireworks too, but it’s more like two weeks around here…

Ajax June 28, 2013 (2:19 am)

I live on one of the major thoroughfares of West Seattle, so I assumed it wouldn’t be so bad around my house when I moved here. Was I ever wrong. It goes on for weeks and on the actual 4th it’s like listening to Blackhawk Down in surround sound. I nearly overdose my dogs on happy pills and this year may do the same for myself. To the new dog owner – yes! you can get Xanax or something similar for dogs. WS vets are used to people asking for it this time of year. If you have a basement, make a soft place for the dog in the closest thing to a cave-type space you have (under stairs or under a bed are favorites of one of my dogs). Turn on loud music – I usually find some narcoleptic smooth jazz type thing – and make sure there’s plenty of water for the pup. When they get really stressed they usually pant a lot and drink lots of water. Good luck!

Ajax June 28, 2013 (2:23 am)

Oh, and for anyone new to West Seattle, remember that once it all dies down and you haven’t had any explosions within earshot in a week or so (typically mid-August), you will have a drunken neighbor who’ll decide to finish off their cadre of fireworks at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday.

Chris W June 28, 2013 (7:52 am)

The good news for pets and babies is no Blue Angels this year. When it gets loud one of my cat hides in the closet, shaking in fear. A little lavendar spray on the wall above where she hides seems to help.

Driez206 June 28, 2013 (12:33 pm)

Thanks for the tips Ajax!

Halyn June 29, 2013 (1:46 am)

Seriously, wscommuter…if it were just one night, or one weekend’s worth of nights, that would be one thing. But as has been pointed out, it’s usually several days, if not a couple of weeks. Monday, the night I got jerked from sleep by an M-80, was June 24–a full ten days before Independence Day. And as a rule, the fireworks continue for a day or two after. I’m not the killjoy type, and if people limited the celebration to July 4 only, or even just the day before and the day after, I would grit my teeth and figure, “oh well, it only comes once a year.” But 10-14 days of it? No, I’m sorry, but that’s ridiculous by any standard.

john W July 3, 2013 (3:43 pm)

I’m with wscommuter on this one. Fireworks are an American tradition. every day around here we hear leaf blower, vacuums, nail guns, helicopters, cars, lawn mowers,. the phone in my house rings louder than some of these fireworks. I can Understand dogs and children can be awoken by these sounds . And for all of you calling these booms m-80’s, it is almost impossible to buy m-80’s on Indian reservations due to police crackdowns. And also for some of you saying its 10-15 days of “torture” the booms and bangs are only seconds long not hours and hours a day. Also if you were thinking abut calling 911 for loud booms you can actually be fined for calling the emergency line. if you have a problem call the non emergency line. I love fireworks, the smell and sound, there is nothing like it, God Bless America all of you firework haters

WSB July 3, 2013 (7:24 pm)

No, you cannot be fined for calling the emergency line unless you are deliberately making a false or prank report. – TR

john W July 3, 2013 (10:16 pm)

That’s what I meant

Halyn July 3, 2013 (10:23 pm)

This thread is really beginning to aggravate me. I am not a firework hater. I am a hater of being awakened in the small hours by the enormous BOOM of an illegal firework, and thanks to my mis-spent youth, I know an M-80 when I hear one. And John W., to compare late night fireworks to day-to-day neighborhood noises is beyond stupid. I’ve never been awakened by a neighbor using a nail gun or leaf blower at 3 a.m. I wouldn’t use the word torture, but 10-14 days of interrupted sleep, and dealing with nervous and unhappy pets is a serious disruption in a person’s peace of mind and enjoyment of their home. Also, by the way, let’s not forget the minor point that this disruptive activity is also an illegal activity in this city. I really resent my patriotism being called into question because I’m tired of my poor cat hiding in the bathtub for two weeks before the fourth. And you know, sudden, unpredictable loud noises are troubling. It’s almost worse than a sustained noise.
oh, and impossible to buy m-80s? Seriously? I’m willing to bet that if I handed my 13 year old a hundred dollar bill and told her I wanted some, she’d be back in about half an hour with a bag full of them.

WSB July 3, 2013 (10:35 pm)

If what I’m hearing isn’t actual illegal-everywhere-except-where-they-are-sold M-somethings, I’d be shocked too. And though I am a fan of sparklers and professional displays on the 4th, tonight (and preceding tonights) the constant kabooms are particularly unfortunate for someone who has no way to get away from them … our little old kittycat with cancer. While she’s never been a scaredy-cat, right now she’s trying to sleep and stay comfortable, while somebody’s out there a block or two away blowing things up. I can only imagine what it sounds like to her. – TR