‘It sounds like a war zone.’ Sacramento tries to prevent the explosion of illegal fireworks

Authorities in California have already seized about 250,000 pounds of illegal fireworks since the last Fourth of July. That’s enough dangerous explosives to fill 10 semitruck trailers.

These days, illegal skyrockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, aerial shells and firecrackers aren’t just being sold from the trunk of a car. Like all other merchandise, illegal fireworks sales have transitioned into the digital world.

Cal Fire Chief Daniel Berlant, the acting state fire marshal, said investigators searching for illegal fireworks are patrolling the streets and surfing the web, using internet searches to find unlawful fireworks dealers.

“It’s become much easier to access fireworks,” Berlant said. “You can do it from the comfort of your home using your smartphone. It’s made it so criminals have a much easier access to potential buyers.”

Even as fireworks enforcement ramps up, plenty of contraband gets into the hands of Californians. Sacramento-area residents can hear the results. Those explosions you hear throughout the night now are not from the “safe and sane” legal fireworks sold at area sanctioned stands, ones that sparkle and crackled to the delight of families and kids. That continuous sonic thunder that provides a war-zone soundscape into the early hours of July 5 comes from the array of illegal fireworks the officials are trying to control.

“If you look at video of any metropolitan city, especially from the air, it’ll look like (an) aerial professional show. But they were all illegal fireworks being shot off from neighborhoods,” Berlant said. “It is a major problem here in California.”

Kathleen Stricklin, a member of the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park District board said her neighborhood, just southwest of Fulton and El Camino avenues, is “terrorized” by illegal fireworks each year. From May to August, she can hear the loud explosions reverberate through her neighborhood.

“It’s so much louder than a gun,” Stricklin said. “The ones that go up in the air, which are illegal, are beautiful. But they’re (being launched) right up the street.”

Complaints have increased

Fireworks activity has surged, with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reporting nearly 40% more fireworks disturbance calls in 2022 than in 2021, for the first five days of July. Authorities confiscate an average of 250,000 pounds of illegal fireworks each year in California. They’ve already reached that number this year with the Fourth of July still days away, so Berlant expects to see an uptick in illegal fireworks seizures.

Berlant said illegal fireworks or those used improperly can cause serious injury or create significant damage, and he warned residents of California’s “Zero Tolerance” policy toward anyone caught selling or using illegal fireworks, with fines of up to $50,000 and up to a year in jail.

Illegal fireworks are basically anything that can explode, go into the air or move on the ground in an uncontrollable manner. The only fireworks that can be sold in California are “safe and sane” fireworks, which are certified with a state Fire Marshal seal and sold in those authorized booths from noon June 28 through July 4 each year.

Certain local jurisdictions within California, such as the city of Auburn in Placer County, El Dorado County, and the unincorporated areas of Placer County, ban all fireworks sales. Authorities recommend checking with the nearest law enforcement or firefighting agency before using fireworks.

20,000 pounds of illegal fireworks found in a moving truck

Some illegal fireworks are seized at California’s border with Nevada. In early March, the state Fire Marshal’s Office seized 20,000 pounds of illegal fireworks being hauled in a large moving truck from Nevada into California. An employee at an agricultural inspection station spotted the illegal cargo and notified authorities, according to a Cal Fire news release.

Berlant said Cal Fire investigators have taught agricultural inspectors what to look for at the state border. He said there’s money to made in these unlawful transactions, and illegal fireworks dealers are “brazen” in their attempts to smuggle contraband into California and sell it here.

Earlier this week, the Sacramento Police Department served a search warrant at a home, where the resident was suspected of selling illegal fireworks out of his vehicle. The department’s explosive ordnance disposal team served the search warrant and found 100 pounds of illegal fireworks, two unregistered guns, $34,000 in cash and drugs, police said.

These dangerous fireworks are a huge threat each Fourth of July, as California approaches what is traditionally the driest portion of the year. Cal Fire officials said fires caused by fireworks have burned more than 20,000 acres and created $59.3 million in property damage since 2013 in California; $25.7 million of that property damage came last year alone.

And Northern California is heating up. Forecastersanticipate the Sacramento region will have its first excessive heat wave of the year — from Friday through Sunday — with temperatures possibly topping 100 degrees.

The region received record-breaking rain and snow this winter, and spring brought more wet weather and cooler temperatures.

“The fire potential increases, especially this year with all the superbloom activity. We’re seeing increased growth of grass in fields and brush, and the fire danger goes up with that,” said Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesman for the Sacramento Fire Department. “Just because we’ve had a little run of some cooler temperatures lately does not mean that the grass is not dry. It’s very dry. We’ve responded to numerous grass fires already this season.”

He said vacant lots and even some parking lots with unruly grass can serve as fuel for a fast-moving fire that can threaten nearby homes in a densely urban area such as Sacramento. A wayward firework can be the spark that starts that fire.

Letters warn county residents of hefty fireworks fines

A year ago, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved a social host ordinance with fines that start at $1,000 for property owners that either use or allow the use of illegal fireworks on their property. The second fireworks violation within one year results in an additional $2,500 fine; each additional violation within one year comes with a $5,000 fine.

The ordinance also includes $10,000 fines for using fireworks within the American River Parkway.

The county did not issue any citations for the social host ordinance last year, because there wasn’t enough time to establish an administrative process for the violations, said county spokeswoman Kim Nava. The process is in place this year, and county officials are warning residents of potential fireworks fines.

Warning letters have been sent to homes and properties where alleged illegal fireworks use was reported. Nava said the county’s code enforcement division has mailed out nearly 300 letters, so far.

“It is absolutely for prevention,” Nava said. “The goal is for everyone to enjoy a safe, fun holiday, free of injury or property damage.”

Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Rochelle Beardsley warned that anyone found using or in possession of illegal fireworks will be prosecuted. She said those convicted will be required to serve time in jail and three years of probation — no matter how small the quantity of illegal fireworks.

“Whether you’re using or possessing, penalties may be increased if the defendant has a criminal record or if others were placed in danger,” Beardsley said. “If children were placed at risk, child endangerment charges could be filed.”

She said prosecutors could choose to file felony charges against a defendant based on the amount of illegal fireworks or their previous criminal record, and they could pursue a prison sentence.

New Sacramento app to report illegal fireworks

Fireworks caused 12 fires on the Fourth of July last year in the city of Sacramento, up from 11 in 2021, according to the Fire Department.

Authorities in Sacramento issued 45 citations for unlawful fireworks from July 1 to 5 last year, totaling $50,000 in fines. From June 22 to July 5 in 2021, 118 fireworks citations were issued in the city for a total of $200,000 in fines.

“For the illegal fireworks, the main concern is the aerial fireworks that go in the air,” Sylvia said. “It’s unpredictable where they are going to land once they go up, and they do catch the wind. It’s up to the weather’s discretion of where they’re gonna go and whether that’s a dry field or on someone’s rooftop that can cause serious damage and injury.”

The Sacramento Fire Department launched a new smartphone app this year that residents can use to report illegal firework activity. Residents can also use the Fire Department’s app to receive community alerts, access safety tips and file reports.

The department’s fire prevention unit responds to reports of illegal fireworks and issues citations that can range from $1,000 to $5,000. Sylvia said the department will have additional command staff and firefighters on duty on the Fourth of July ready to respond.

Last year, the department responded to 395 emergency calls and 64 fires on the Fourth of July. In 2021, the department responded to 400 emergency calls and 84 fires on the holiday.

The risk of traumatic injury also increases on the Fourth of July, especially with the illegal fireworks that people hold in their hand and throw. Sylvia said sometimes those fuses burn faster than expected, which can cause the firework to explode while still in someone’s hand. He said it can lead to people losing their fingers or hands, or they can cause some other type of serious bodily injury.

An estimated 11,500 firework-related injuries were reported nationwide in 2021, a 25% increase from 2006, with 73% of those injuries being sparkler-related accidents, according to a report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Deputies patrol with fire investigators

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Nate O’Brien said the agency has a task force of deputies who patrol on Fourth of July with investigators from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. The task force is solely responsible for responding to illegal fireworks calls. O’Brien said the task force confiscated nearly 900 pounds of illegal fireworks in 2022, about the same amount it seizes each year.

The rest of the patrol deputies will also respond to reports of illegal fireworks, on top of other calls for service during their shifts, said Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office. He said deputies spend the Fourth of July confiscating illegal aerial fireworks, but they also stop and warn residents using legal fireworks in an unsafe manner.

“It’s obviously a responsibility we hold, and one we have to enforce and we have to do for the greater good,” Gandhi said. “Just be aware of the dangers that you’re not only presenting to yourself but everybody around you.”

Gandhi used to work the overnight shift as a patrol deputy, as recently as 2018, and he remembers the large amount of illegal fireworks exploding and filling the night sky on the holiday. It’s chaos each year.

“It sounds like a war zone,” Gandhi said. “I mean, it’s just constant, nonstop for five, six, seven straight hours of an intermix of fireworks and gunshots and everything else.”

From July 1 through July 5 in 2021, authorities received 312 fireworks disturbance calls for unincorporated areas of the county and the cities of Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities received 433 fireworks disturbance calls in the same five days last year, for a nearly 40% increase; 202 of those calls were on the Fourth of July alone.

‘People are gonna continue to do it’

Stricklin wishes all fireworks — even the legal “safe and sane” fireworks — were banned throughout California. She said the state is filled with dry vegetation, and allowing fireworks to satisfy “the child in everyone” is just courting disaster.

She’s worried some those illegal aerial fireworks will fall on dry vegetation and spark a fire that threatens nearby homes.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is already fully staffed in anticipation for this year’s Fourth of July, said Capt. Parker Wilbourn, a spokesman for the firefighting agency that serves unincorporated parts of Sacramento County and contracts with the cities of Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova.

He hopes the warnings deter unsafe fireworks activity, but the department is preparing for if those warnings are ignored.

“We know people are gonna continue to do it,” Wilbourn said. “That’s why we’re ramped up. We’re prepared for it.”

He’s concerned about the large growth of grass after this winter’s wet weather, coupled with the intense heat expected on the weekend leading up to the Fourth of July.

“We have the ingredients for a large in county fire, and a lot of the county grass is bumped right into homes,” Wilbourn said. “That’s a challenge for us.”

Sacramento Metro Fire officials hope residents play it safe this year and leave the bright and colorful aerial fireworks shows to the professionals.

“There are many community events in the area with professional displays that are safe alternatives for your family,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Amy Nygren of Metro Fire. “Please celebrate the holiday responsibly and keep it safe, keep it legal.”

How to report illegal fireworks activity or sales

Unincorporated Sacramento County : 916-874-5115 or reportfireworks@saccounty.net

City of Sacramento: 916-808-3473 (FIRE) or the Sacramento Fire Department App

Folsom: fireworks@folsom.ca.us or seeclickfix.com/folsom

Elk Grove: 916-714-5115 or fireworks@elkgrovepd.org

Rancho Cordova: 916-362-5115

Citrus Heights: 916-727-5500

Galt: 209-366-7000

Fireworks safety tips

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers this advice for those setting off legal fireworks.

▪ Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby, in case of fire or other mishaps.

▪ Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers. Sparklers burn at temperatures of about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt some metals.

▪ Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby, in case of fire or other mishaps.

▪ Light fireworks one at a time, then quickly move away from the fireworks device.

▪ Never try to relight or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and throw them away.

▪ Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.

▪ Never point or throw fireworks including sparklers at anyone.

▪ After fireworks complete their burning, to prevent a trash fire, douse the spent device with plenty of water from a bucket or hose before discarding the device.

▪ Make sure fireworks are legal in your area. Only purchase and set off fireworks labeled for consumer use, not for professionals.

▪ Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

Report illegal fireworks operations

Cal Fire officials ask anyone with information about illegally transporting large amounts of fireworks into California to send an email to arsonbomb@fire.ca.gov.