This weekend’s Fourth of July fireworks display drew plenty applause. But despite the clear skies and big crowd, the city’s demonstration didn’t go perfectly smoothly. Sparks and ash from the fireworks caused three small tundra fires on the Mount Newhall hillside.

According to the Unalaska Department of Public Safety, the fires were extinguished quickly.

“We had firefighters who were on standby for precisely that kind of activity. They went up on the hillside with their bunker gear and extinguishing equipment, and successfully put them out,” says Sgt. Jennifer Shockley. “I think the largest one was reported to be about 10 feet across.

Nobody was hurt by the fires, and environmental damage caused by the fires was minimal.

“The fires were not hot or deep – they burned pretty fast through the heather,” says Shockley.

She also says that it’s not common for the city’s fireworks display to result in any sort of fire.

“We have had fires in the past from private fireworks, but it’s been quite a few years since the last one,” she says.

But overall, Public Safety considers the holiday to be a success.

“The day went extremely well,” says Shockley. “What I heard from the public is that everyone had a lot of fun.”

No criminal events occurred, and one injury was treated by EMS.