ST. LOUIS — There were two arrests related to fireworks in St. Louis, St. Louis County and St. Charles County this year, and calls were down in both St. Louis and St. Louis County.
Around the St. Louis area, firefighters worked hundreds of calls ranging from fires to medical calls, but the incidents resulted in few arrests or citations, although shooting off fireworks is illegal in St. Louis and St. Louis County.
In St. Louis, police received 324 calls for service relative to fireworks from July 3-6, about one-third the number of calls the department got in 2020. Both of those numbers include duplicate calls for the same incident.
A police spokeswoman said those calls resulted in "at least 15 to 20 citations" and two arrests.
By the end of the night, the St. Louis Fire Department responded to 106 total fires.
Here's a breakdown of all the fires the St. Louis Fire Department responded the night of July 4 into the following morning:
- 11 building/garage fires
- 54 dumpster fires
- 9 rubbish fires
- 9 vehicle fires
- 21 weed/grass/tree fires
- 2 appliance fires
In St. Louis County, the police department responded to 410 fireworks calls from July 2-6. That was significantly fewer than the 705 in 2020. No one was arrested or cited as a result of the calls.
One man was arrested and charged with multiple assault charges after he shot three people during a July Fourth celebration and then barricaded himself in a Lemay home early Monday morning.
Donald Meek, 27, has been charged with three counts each of second-degree assault and armed criminal action.
It all started when Meek walked up to the group as they were setting off fireworks outside their home on Goetz Avenue. He is well known in the south county neighborhood for causing problems, victim Porcha Everage told 5 On Your Side.
In St. Charles County, a police spokeswoman said the department had an increase in calls, but they did not have specific numbers because the department's new reporting system takes time to collect statistics.
Fireworks are legal in St. Charles County, so no one was arrested or cited.
St. Charles City Fire Captain Kelly Hunsel said the department worked multiple house fires over the weekend, including four at one time.
"This year was definitely an anomaly," Hunsel told 5 On Your Side. "To have four structural fires in all of St. Charles County at the same time is really unprecedented."
Even with the holiday weekend in the rearview mirror, Hunsel said people need to keep an eye out for their discarded fireworks or ash piles for the next few days because they can still smolder and cause damaging fires.