Fire departments across the United States reported a sharp jump in calls over the Fourth of July holiday as fireworks, crowded waterways and record public gatherings strained emergency resources from the nation’s capital to the West Coast. In Washington, D.C., five adult men were pulled from the Potomac River after their boat overturned in an anchorage zone near the Washington Monument shortly after the city’s fireworks display. Crews from DC Fire and EMS, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and the city’s police marine unit rescued all occupants; one man was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries. The incident was among 896 calls handled by D.C.’s Platoon 4 between July 4 and the morning of July 5. The total included 204 critical medical runs, 411 non-critical cases and 281 fire and other emergencies, with officials linking dozens of outdoor blazes to fireworks. Las Vegas reported an even heavier workload. The city’s fire-rescue service said it fielded 1,193 emergency calls and responded to 293 incidents, including 116 outside fires and seven building fires, while inspecting 64 licensed fireworks booths. Two people suffered burn injuries. On the West Coast, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue in Washington state answered more than 240 calls—103 of them fires—during the same 24-hour period. Oakland firefighters tackled 64 fires, roughly five times a typical day, amid widespread reports of illegal fireworks across Northern California. Agencies warned that hot, dry summer conditions will keep wildfire risk elevated through the weekend even as formal Independence Day celebrations wind down.