People lit up the night sky with illegal fireworks last week as they do every Fourth of July, causing an increase in police work in some communities.

The number of firework-related calls to the Beaverton Police Department has risen in the past couple of years, from 34 calls in 2010 to 52 in 2011, according to Officer Mike Rowe, police spokesman.

The department received 62 calls this year. Among those calls, five of them involved alcohol. Police also responded to reports of two drunk drivers that night.

Although officers did not issue citations for possession of illegal fireworks, they did confiscate illegal fireworks during 19 calls, Rowe said. Those fireworks will be safely destroyed by Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue.

The Tigard Police Department received a total of 177 calls throughout the entire day last Wednesday for various circumstances, said Jim Wolf, the agency's public information officer.

Tigard police officers did not make any DUII arrests on July 4. They also did not issue citations for prohibited fireworks, but did respond to 10 calls transferred to police dispatch about the use of suspected illegal fireworks.

“A Tigard police officer responded to the calls accompanied by a Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue fire marshal,” Wolf said. “In some cases, fireworks were confiscated, and the users involved were counseled. All parties involved throughout the evening were cooperative.”

Four calls related to animal complaints were made by people who witnessed dogs running loose. Wolf said the dogs might have run from their homes in fear of the loud firework noises, which is “typical” every Fourth of July. Washington County Animal Control officials ultimately picked up the dogs.

Jennifer Massey from the Tualatin Police Department said Tualatin officers did not confiscate any illegal fireworks during Fourth of July festivities.

Meanwhile, TVF&R crews responded to five fires triggered by fireworks that took place between noon on July 4 and noon July 5, said Brian Barker, fire district spokesman.

Two of the cases were dumpster fires in Beaverton. Another case was caused by the improper disposal of fireworks in a paper bag that later ignited, and one was a trash can fire in Tigard.

TVF&R crews also responded to a Bethany house fire, which was caused by a similar reckless act of tossing spent fireworks in an inflammable bag, Barker said. The flames from the bag spread to the home in the 12000 block of Northwest Hibbard Drive, resulting in about $8,000 worth of damages. No one was injured.

A resident reported that his garage was on fire at 7 a.m. July 5. Firefighters from Oak Hills Station 68 arrived minutes later to find smoke coming from the front of the home and the occupant using a hose to spray water on the flames. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire before it could spread into the attic or living areas. Damage was confined to the home's garage, Barker said.

The resident told a fire investigator he had been lighting legal fireworks on July 4 and put them in a plastic bag after they were spent. Around midnight, the bag was placed against an outside wall on the garage. Seven hours later, he discovered the fire burning up the wall's siding.

Overall, the fire district saw a decrease in fire calls this year compared to 2011, when crews responded to nine firework-related fires that caused more than $160,000 worth of reported damages, Barker said.