The highly-touted fireworks show at Northern Quest Resort and Casino fizzled July 4 when the show billed as the largest “between Seattle and Billings, Montana” sparked five brush fires and was cancelled nearly as quickly as it began.
The Airway Heights Fire Department received the first call just after 10 p.m. Fire Marshal Nate Whannell said they dispatched six units and were able to extinguish the fires quickly, with just one acre succumbing to the flames.
While attendees reported impressive fireworks at first, the subsequent fires put a stop to the show soon after they started and cut short the planned grand finale. Casino personnel initially promised more fireworks, but those never materialized.
“Out of an abundance of caution and in cooperation with the Fire Marshal, Northern Quest ended the 4th of July fireworks show early,” Kalispel Tribe Community Relations Manager Les Blakley said in a statement.
Whannell said the department did not shut down the show; the casino made the decision to cancel the fireworks.
“We didn’t shut them down,” Whannell said. “We advised them to not continue but ultimately left the decision up to them.”
The fireworks show at Northern Quest Resort and Casino was the first in more than 15 years, according to a June 12 press release distributed by the casino.
“It was an accident,” Whannell said. “It wasn’t a rouge firework; it was the way it was set up and accidents happen.”
The casino’s initial release said the show was planned with three launch sites in close proximity to each other.
Resident reactions on social media were swift, with many saying they had been caught in a major traffic snarl while attempting to leave the event.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at [email protected].
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