Did it seem a little noisier than usual in your neck of the woods last over the weekend?
While Halloween is notoriously noisy in Vancouver, the festivities were supposed to be a little quieter than usual this year — or a lot quieter. On Nov. 1, 2020, the City of Vancouver’s ban on fireworks came into effect.
But as most Vancouverites will attest, the city was far from peaceful. Ghouls and goblins adhered to long-standing tradition, setting the sky ablaze with a cacophony of sparkling, booming displays.
In past years, fireworks have caused tremendous damage to commercial and residential properties across the city. In 2019, Vancouver Fire and Rescue reported over 360,000 worth of damages caused by fireworks. This year, however, Assistant Chief Trevor Connelly told Vancouver Is Awesome in a telephone interview that there were under $10,000 in damages as a result of them.
"There were 14 fires that would be considered arson. Seven or eight of them were likely caused by fireworks," he explained, adding that the numbers are still preliminary at this time.
The total cost from arson over Halloween weekend will likely be around $170,000, added Connelly, who noted that firefighters responded to roughly 702 incidents.
"This was certainly surprising to me how drastic of an improvement it was," he said.
There was an estimated loss of around $5,000 from one fireworks-related incident over the weekend, while the rest were smaller, Connelly described.
The Vancouver Police Department says that multiple vehicles were set on fire overnight on Halloween in South Vancouver in what it believes were targeted arsons, according to a news release.
The department launched an investigation in the early hours of Monday morning after two parked cars were set ablaze near Prince Edward Street and East 26th Avenue in Mount Pleasant.
"Less than two hours later, someone set fire to a car that was parked near Victoria Drive and East 54th Avenue. The car was completely destroyed, Investigators are looking into possible links to the Lower Mainland gang conflict," reads a news release.
V.I.A. has reached out to the VPD for a comment.
