Biloxi fireworks show sparks wildfire on nearby Deer Island
The annual Fourth of July fireworks show along the beach in Biloxi, Miss., had an undesired effect this year.
Sparks from the show ignited a wildfire on nearby Deer Island in the Mississippi Sound, according to WLOX.
The fireworks show, which began at 9 p.m., is privately sponsored and staged from a barge in the Mississippi Sound in order to avoid any of the estimated 1,000 mortar shells falling on Biloxi’s mainland. It’s standard practice for a Biloxi Fire Department boat to be stationed near the fireworks barge and firefighters aboard the boat saw the island fire ignite Tuesday night.
The firefighters were able to land on the island, accessing the fire within 15 minutes, according to the report. The fire was quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported.
The Biloxi fire department is still monitoring the island, according to the report, while the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources says the state-owned island closed until they can access and evaluate the site.