Boothbay Fire Department had a busier than usual Fourth of July Weekend. The department responded to two fires on Back River Road in Boothbay resulting from misfired fireworks. On July 3, firefighters responded around 9:30 p.m. to a location near a wooded area. Fire Chief Dick Spofford reported a field ignited from an errant firework and burned less than an acre. “Years ago there was a microburst which made it difficult getting to the fire,” he said. “We finally got some hoses out there and had it under control in an hour. Then it took another hour to mop up.”

The second fire occurred around 11 p.m. July 4 when a pier caught fire from an errant firework. Spofford reported the fire spread to the runway. “The guy was shooting fireworks off his dock. We got there, and knocked it down in about 20 minutes,” he said. 

Spofford reported these incidents were the only fireworks-related emergency responses on Independence Day Weekend in several years.