According to the Renton Regional Fire Authority, individuals playing with fireworks started a brush fire July 4 on the hillside between 2000 Benson Road South and the Heritage Hills Apartments at 1300 South Puget Drive.

According to a Meeghan Black, public information officer for the Renton Police Department, multiple residents reported that the fireworks ignited a small fire that spread fast.

Renton Police Department officers and fire department personnel from the Renton Regional Fire Authority responded at approximately 3:57 p.m. for reports of a brush fire.

Several residents attempted to extinguish the fire unsuccessfully, with the flames within a number of feet of a building prior to the arrival of the Renton Regional Fire Authority. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames before they reached any structures, according to Black’s email.

Officers interviewed all witnesses at the scene. No witnesses saw who discharged the fireworks, or from which unit they originated, according to Black.

The City of Renton banned the sale and discharge of personal fireworks within Renton city limits in 2005. King County additionally banned the sale and discharge of fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county in 2022, including in communities like the East Renton area, Skyway and Fairwood.

The flames reached within a number of feet of a Heritage Hills Apartment building prior to the arrival of Renton firefighters. (Courtesy of the Renton Police Department.)