Nothing says Independence Day in St. Louis more than a slew of dumpster fires.
The St. Louis Fire Department responded to 75 dumpster fires this Fourth of July. A close cousin to the dumpster fire, trash fires, totaled 18.
Following past trends, dumpsters blazed more than anything else this July Fourth, including buildings. Dumpster and trash fires comprised 93 of the total 144 fires reported during this year’s festivities.#July4th2022 #STLCity #YourFireDepartment #DumpsterFire https://t.co/RuzcwUqoNK pic.twitter.com/kQAh9Yl3Od
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) July 5, 2022
Before the Fourth of July weekend, the fire department warned of “serious injuries and property damages” that could be caused by fireworks. Somehow, they neglected to warn against St. Louis’ penchant to turn dumpsters into giant receptacles for weenie roasts.
Something about this year must have especially inspired St. Louisans to aim their bottle rockets at innocent dumpsters. Last year, firefighters extinguished 54 dumpster fires, 21 less than this year.
July 4, 2022 Response Statistics
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) July 5, 2022
Operating Period: 08:00 July 4, 2022 - 08:00 July 5, 2022.
Previous years included for context.#July4th2022 #STLCity #YourFireDepartment pic.twitter.com/yewwQLrHtU
As the city’s trash pick-up service faces perpetual staff and equipment shortages, maybe this isn’t about high spirits, but rather an excuse for St. Louisans to burn away the growing trash heaps in their alleys.
But c’mon, St. Louis. After a couple of boozy sledders used dumpster lids to slide down Art Hill earlier this year, don’t you think dumpsters have gone through enough?
