Five Portland men are among eight people facing criminal charges after illegal aerial fireworks they launched from a vacation home porch ignited a brush fire in Lincoln City on July 4.

Alexander Chen, Arvin Kharrazu, Jeremy Hannah, Jesse Lindholm, and Olin Gilster, all 21 years old and all from Portland, each face a reckless burning charge, a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail and a $6,250 fine under Oregon law.

Three other 21-year-olds were also charged: Braeden Carter and Logan Carter of Bend, and Ethan Thanh-Tai Tieu of Battle Ground, Washington.

The fire started around 9 p.m. Saturday on a grassy hill overlooking the beach when the group launched illegal aerial fireworks off the back porch of a family vacation home on Coast Avenue, according to the Lincoln City Police Department.

Flames came within 30 feet of three buildings.

At one point, authorities issued Level 2 "Get Set" evacuation notices to nearby residents, warning them to prepare to leave.

Eight Lincoln City police officers and 18 firefighters from four agencies responded: North Lincoln Fire & Rescue, Depoe Bay Fire District, Newport Fire Department, and the Oregon Department of Forestry. Crews worked roughly six hours to extinguish the blaze.

The men initially denied starting the fire, police said. But when officers showed them video footage recorded by a neighbor, one of the men admitted the group had set off fireworks.

The incident occurred during a statewide wildfire emergency declared by Gov. Tina Kotek in mid-June, with more than half of Oregon's counties under drought emergencies at the time.

Erin Zysett, a spokesperson for the state's Office of Emergency Management, warned ahead of the holiday that "fireworks remain one of the leading human-caused sources of wildfires" given dry vegetation conditions statewide.

Under Oregon law, aerial fireworks are illegal for consumer use without a licensed operator permit. Beyond criminal penalties, those who misuse fireworks and cause property damage may be held liable for fire suppression costs, according to the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office.

Oregon has seen severe consequences for fireworks-caused wildfires before. In 2017, a teenager who threw fireworks into Eagle Creek Canyon in the Columbia River Gorge started a blaze that burned 50,000 acres. He owes nearly $37 million in restitution.