Cantons report a peaceful firework-free Swiss National Day
For once, August 1 passed off with virtually no fireworks: emergency services from several cantons reported a quiet Swiss National Day with comparatively few call-outs.
“The public has, on the whole, complied well with the ban on fires and fireworks,” said Schutz&Rettung Zürich in response to an enquiry from the Swiss News Agency Keystone-SDA. Overall, it had been a quiet evening, it said. Four minor fires had to be extinguished in the canton of Zurich, including a small group of trees and a burning hedge.
In canton Aargau, there were only 33 reports relating to fireworks in the past 48 hours, according to the cantonal police on Sunday when asked. However, it was not always clear whether anything had actually been set off.
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In addition, there were 26 reports of fires or barbecues. In most cases, however, these involved permitted gas barbecues that had simply produced a lot of smoke. There was not a single report in the town of Aarau.
According to a statement, the police in canton Basel Country were called out 11 times in response to reports relating to the ban on fires and fireworks. These were predominantly “reports of people who wanted to barbecue using wood or charcoal, or who had already lit such a fire”.
In some cases, the patrols were able to inform the individuals concerned of the applicable regulations in good time, the statement added. Apart from that, the National Day passed off peacefully.
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