Fourth no busier than normal weekend Despite...

Fourth no busier than normal weekend

Despite record crowds in the Downtown area, Huntington Beach

police and fire departments reported a relatively quiet Fourth of

July.

“The Fourth of July was very peaceful and a great family

atmosphere,” said Lt. Craig Junginger.

Police made 38 arrests Monday, mostly on misdemeanor violations,

Junginger said. That is no more arrests than police typically make on

any weekend day.

In comparison to past Fourth of July celebrations, this year was a

marked improvement, said Sgt. Mike Kelly.

“We’re not dealing with the levels of violence that we have in the

past,” Kelly said.

Although no fireworks-related medical aid calls were reported,

Huntington Beach fire noticed a widespread use of illegal fireworks

throughout the city, said Deputy Fire Marshal David McBride.

“We noticed a significant amount of activity of illegal

fireworks,” McBride said.

The fire department received only one report of a fire resulting

from the illegal use of fireworks. A bottle rocket reportedly landed

on a roof and caused a minor fire that was extinguished by a

passerby, McBride said.

The fire department boosted staffing for the holiday, adding five

units that patrolled the city on the lookout for anyone using illegal

fireworks. Each patrol unit was staffed with one police officer and a

fire department arson investigator.

Fire department patrol units did not make any arrests for

possession of illegal fireworks, but they did confiscate any

fireworks they found, McBride said.

Four-plex damaged as parking goes awry

A four-plex in the 7700 block of Fir Drive was red-tagged Tuesday

night after a woman drove a car into the building, causing

significant structural damage, police said.

Blanca Polo, 55, was parking her car when she hit the gas and

drove into the complex at 7:55 p.m., police said.

No one was injured, police said.