Richland Fire

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Story Published: Jul 5, 2009 at 5:46 PM PST

By Holly Zuluaga

RICHLAND—A fire in Richland came dangerously close to homes Saturday night.

It started as a 4th of July party in Meadow Springs, but then "fireworks" of a different sort.

“We were having a party drinking margaritas and watching fireworks on the back deck and one of our guests saw the fire and we went out and kind of watched it and watched it and it kept coming closer,” Phil Ohl said.

It came so close, authorities evacuated this and other nearby houses as the fire consumed the hillside, and thick smoke filled the air.

“We ran in and got everybody's photos and things off the walls,” Krysten Anderson said.

Investigators believe fireworks are to blame for the blaze.

“Somebody had obviously just lit fireworks and just dropped them, because fireworks were coming out of the fire,” Krysten Anderson said.

Firefighters were able to fend off flames so no houses were damaged.
Firefighters say it took 30 minutes to fight.

Firefighters say this is just another example of why aerial fireworks are illegal. These homeowners were lucky, that their home didn't go up in smoke. But it doesn't always shake out that way.

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