Fireworks show ends with blaze of glory

The grand finale of this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display at Whitefish Lake will go down as one to remember.

The pyrotechnics barge parked in City Beach bay caught fire near the end of the show when an ember from a low-bursting firework landed on the deck. The blaze fully engulfed the barge as the grand finale was going off.

A plume of black smoke billowed from the raging blaze while fireworks were rapidly launched into the night sky. Thousands of spectators at City Beach roared with excitement as the show ended.

No one was injured in the blaze. Two pyrotechnicians on board dove into the water and swam to safety.

Whitefish fire crews staged nearby on the city’s fire boat quickly arrived on scene and knocked down the blaze using a water canon. The fire was out within a few minutes of their arrival.

Eight unexploded shells were found onboard when the barge was pulled to shore. The decking of the barge was charred but it still floats.

The fire boat was purchased a year ago by the Whitefish Rural Fire Service Area and was donated to the city, Whitefish Fire Chief Tom Kennelly explained.

“In past years [such a fire] would have been more difficult to extinguish,” he said.

Many in attendance thought the blaze added to the show.

“Great fireworks show last night,” Adriene Cardan posted on the Pilot’s Facebook page. “The barge fire was the icing on the cake! What an exciting evening!”

“What was great is that they still kept to the rhythm of the show as the fire started and built up, instead of just firing all at once and bailing out. Good show,” Joseph Kastella posted.

“Wow, what a way to end,” Sandy Anderson wrote.

Whitefish fire crews were later called out to two separate structure fires caused by fireworks.

The outer wall of a guest house on Houston Point Drive caught fire early Friday morning.

Later, a storage shed on Cougar Trail in Happy Valley caught fire from exploding fireworks. That incident also caused minor damage to a neighbor’s camper.