Cedar Rapids police: Fewer fireworks calls, more fires this year

Cedar Rapids first responders saw a significant drop in fireworks-related citations and calls for service this year in June and the first week of July than in 2024, but an increase in fires, after state legislation was passed earlier this year preventing cities from banning fireworks on July 3 and 4.

According to data released Monday on the city of Cedar Rapids Facebook page, there were 356 calls for service relating to fireworks between June 1 and July 6, which is almost half of the 636 calls the city reported during the same time period last year.

This year was the first year it was legal to use consumer fireworks in Cedar Rapids during certain hours on July 3 and 4, because of new state legislation. Of the 356 calls for service this year, 178 were received during the authorized firework hours.

The city attributed some of the decrease to the rainy weather on Saturday evening.

There also was a slight decrease in fireworks related citations, dropping from 12 in 2024 to 7 in 2025.

The Cedar Rapids Fire Department responded to twice as many fireworks-related fires this year, however. There were 10 fires between June 1 and July 6 that were traced to fireworks, including five dumpster fires, two grass fires, two debris fires, and one fire with property damage. There also were multiple other fires in which fireworks were mentioned during the initial call, but were not determined to be the sole cause of the fire.

In 2024, there were five fires where fireworks were determined to be the cause — two dumpster fires, two grass fires, and one small debris fire — as well as several others in which firework evidence was present but wasn’t the sole cause, according to city data.

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