4 arrested after assaulting firefighters and officers with fireworks, police say

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina -- Four people were arrested after police say firefighters and officers were assaulted with fireworks on Wednesday night, WLOS-TV reports.

The suspects are now charged after investigators say they began shooting fireworks at the first responders who were initially called to put out a fire.

British McClure was inside her Pisgah View Apartment when she says someone decided to light a firecracker on her window sill, causing the curtains around it to go up in flames.

"All of a sudden, I hear a 'boom!' I said, 'that's in my house.' Smoke started coming up and it started saying, 'fire' to the smoke detectors. I pulled my ponytail out, and I ran down here and it was on fire," McClure said.

McClure was able to put out her fire, but another one started later on.

Officers arrived at the scene and a spokeswoman says they began using pepper balls to disperse the crowd so firefighters could do their job safely, even after taking on about a dozen hits from firecrackers.

"When we have officers and firefighters and other emergency personnel being assaulted, it takes away from their ability to do their job," Christina Hallingse from the Asheville Police Department said. "The Asheville Fire Department and Asheville Police Department are here to serve our community and we would hope that we would get enough respect from the community to allow us to provide those services."

The four suspects face charges ranging from resisting arrest, to assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.