Stiffer fines, wet weather reduced Halloween fireworks incidents, Metro Vancouver officials say [Video]

Fire officials in Surrey and Vancouver reported fewer fireworks-related incidents this Halloween, citing stiffer penalties, bans and weather in the regions as possible reasons. 

Surrey Fire Service Chief Larry Thomas said there were four or five fireworks-related fires in the city on Thursday, down from about 20 on Halloween last year. 

He attributed the decrease to a couple of factors. 

“Weather, I would think definitely would play a factor and all the attention on the increased fines hopefully had an influence on that as well to keep the complaints and actual fires down,” Thomas told CBC News.

Surrey doubled fines for fireworks bylaw violations ahead of Halloween and Diwali this year, with a municipal ticket now costing someone as much as $1,000.

Beyond actual fires, Thomas said the city received about 350 complaints on Thursday, lower than the around 500 reported last year.

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