Sturgis Police see busy Fourth of July period responding to fireworks related calls

STURGIS, S.D. – Sturgis Police say they were very busy over the holiday weekend, responding to fireworks-related calls.

Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater says they took 27 fireworks-related calls between June 28^th and July 6^th.

He says it seemed busier this year.

“It did seem we had more issues with the fireworks this year then we had in the past. That included a fire above the Sturgis Bike Park that was started by fireworks.”

Fireworks were legal to shoot off on private property on the 3^rd and 4^th, however, VanDewater says they had a problem with people shooting them off on public property. He says that included the city park, where fireworks sparked that fire on the steep slopes of Sly Hill Sunday night.

He says it wasn’t the only fire sparked by fireworks.

“We had a couple smaller fires that were put out prior to the Fire Department arriving on the scene. They  didn’t amount to much.”

He says they also received a lot of fireworks complaints on their social media platforms.

“We took a lot of complaints through social media, when they were shooting them off. I know a lot of people were not happy they were approved given the dry conditions.”

Vandewater also said they had a recurring problem of people who leave their fireworks trash behind.