Whidbey Island firefighting agencies responded to at least a dozen firework-related blazes on the Fourth of July.

North Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue responded to six grass, brush and beach fires caused by fireworks, according to Battalion Chief Steve Lacy. Most of the fires were no larger than 30 by 30 feet and extinguished quickly, with many property owners using garden hoses on the fires prior to firefighters’ arrival, Lacy wrote in an email.

The trickiest fire to tackle was a driftwood fire that had apparently been smoldering for several hours before igniting a much larger blaze. The fire woke a nearby homeowner, who contacted the department. Crews were on scene within 10 minutes and extinguished the fire quickly but then had to cut up large logs to reach the fire’s still-smoldering inner portion.

The department finished extinguishing the fire and undertook “mop up operations to ensure no further spread,” Lacy said.

Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue responded to five calls within about an hour the evening of July 4, Fire Chief Jerry Helm said. The first was a driftwood fire, which was called in at around 9 p.m., followed by four grass fires caused by fireworks.

The largest of the grass fires was about 10 by 15 feet, Helm said. The chief said the individual fires were easy to handle, but having so many calls come in at once was taxing to the firefighters.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS Deputy Chief Terry Ney said the South End department responded to one fireworks-related incident on Independence Day, a 10-square-foot grass fire on a vacant lot in Clinton. There was no loss of property and no injuries, Ney said.