The wettest Halloween in 18 years spelled bad news for Tri-City trick-or-treaters.
But it meant an unusually quiet night for emergency personnel.
Environment Canada reported nearly 50 mm of rain fell in the region Wednesday, which translated to fewer costumed kids on the streets and fewer revellers shooting off fireworks (sometimes illegally).
"The weather and the fact that it was a Wednesday meant it was a pretty peaceful Halloween," said the Coquitlam RCMP's spokesperson, Const. Jamie Phillipson.
Compare that to last year, when police and firefighters described the Monday Halloween - plus the weekend leading up to it - as "loud and busy," with numerous disturbance and noise complaints.
Still, on Wednesday, the RCMP detachment logged 23 calls related to fireworks in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam; Mounties also arrested four people for being drunk in a public place, Phillipson said.
Coquitlam Fire Chief Tony Delmonico said he didn't bother to schedule more crews on the typically busy night due to the rainfall warning and troublesome activity expected to be low. His prediction proved to be right.
"It was a very quiet night," Delmonico said, noting his smoke-eaters handled a barbecue fire on an apartment patio on Whiting Way as well as three trash fires, six medical calls, a motor-vehicle accident, a false alarm and an assist to a disabled person.
Coquitlam fire inspector Paula Faedo was out until 2:30 a.m. to seize fireworks and to follow up with the four holders of fireworks permits, he said.
Delmonico added he was grateful the weather wasn't dry as in previous Octobers since "small fires can spread very quickly with the grasses and hedges."
In Port Coquitlam, firefighters took 10 calls overnight, said city spokesperson Pardeep Purewal. "There was only one minor Halloween-related incident of a youth attempting to start a fire in a bush across from Samz Pub, which was dealt with," she said.
And in Port Moody, Fire Chief Remo Faedo said his crews extinguished a small bonfire lit behind Mountain Meadows elementary on Noons Creek Drive. Other than that, PM firefighters responded to five calls: three medical, a false alarm and a motor-vehicle crash.
His department issued 12 fireworks permits and he said, "We had very, very few fireworks-related incidents and that's been the case for the last three years. I attribute that to the city eliminating nuisance fireworks. It seems to have worked."
Calls to Port Moody Police were not returned by The Tri-City News' print deadline.
