By Crystal McGough, Editor
TRUSSVILLE – Melissa Mullin-Steuer, a resident of Trussville’s Stockton neighborhood, stood before the Trussville City Council on Tuesday night Jan. 9, 2024, to share concern over a porch fire that started as a result of fireworks on New Year’s Eve. According to Mullin-Steuer, the fireworks use was in violation of a city ordinance.
“I stand here before you today as a concerned citizen seeking your immediate attention to a matter that poses a serious threat to the safety and well-being of our neighborhood,” Mullin-Steuer said. “The issue at hand is the persistent violation of the city’s firework ordinance within the Stockton neighborhood, which has escalated to the point of endangering properties and lives.”
Mullin-Steuer said that, this past New Year’s Eve, a neighbor’s porch caught fire “due to the reckless and illegal use of fireworks.” She added that she had sent video footage of the incident to the mayor and council members earlier that day.
The owner of the home where the fire ignited is a Birmingham firefighter with 23 years’ experience, she said.
“As you can imagine, (he) is very concerned with the events that transpired at his residence,” Mullin-Steuer said, adding that he had given her permission to quote him directly about the incident.
“Describing what happened, Patrick said, ‘I have seen too many fires caused by fireworks working as a firefighter for Birmingham. I just didn’t think it would happen to me.'”
The statement goes on to describe the circumstances, stating that the chair that caught fire on his porch was outside his master bedroom closet, which has no smoke detector. Next to the closet, he said, is a stairwell leading upstairs where his children sleep.
“The clothes inside the closet would’ve kicked off pretty quickly, therefore it doesn’t take long for a fire to reach sheetrock, so my boys would’ve been trapped upstairs,” Mullin-Steuer quoted her neighbor saying.
“Patrick went on to say he was lucky the incident was caught on his security camera, which alerted him while he was at work,” Mullin-Steuer said. “Because of this, he was able to warn family members who were home in the house at the time the fire started, while he rushed home. Thankfully, his son also saw the fire and let everyone in the house know what was going on, as well. Patrick said they were very lucky to have caught it, as it could’ve been much worse.”
“This incident not only resulted in property damage, but also put lives at risk,” Mullin-Steuer continued, as she urged the municipality to take immediate measures to enforce the city’s fireworks ordinance in Stockton.
She added that she finds reactions from certain residents in the neighborhood even more concerning, as she said they have shown blatant defiance and even reportedly made threats to those who want the city’s ordinance enforced.
“As an example of the total disregard for the ordinance and blatant attempt to mock the city of Trussville, an anonymous Facebook post was made last night stating they would be setting off fireworks on Brexton Street, the street on which I live, during the time of the city council meeting,” Mullin-Steuer said. “This post was made shortly after I posted the information about where and when the city council meeting was taking place, for any neighbors who also wanted to share their concerns…
“The disregard for the firework ordinance in Stockton has gotten out of hand. The reality is, a neighbor’s house was actually set on fire from a firework, with their family still inside the home. Thankfully, this time, the fire was able to be put out before anyone was hurt. …It should not take someone’s house being burnt down to the ground, or God forbid, a fatality, to send a message that breaking this ordinance will no longer be tolerated. I implore this city council to take immediate and decisive action to address this matter. Our community deserves to celebrate occasions without fear of property damage, injury or worse.”
The council thanked Mullin-Steuer for sharing her concerns and stated that they considered this matter such an important topic that they suspended the three-minute time limit on public comments to allow her to share her full statement.