Despite a massive public information campaign and a tip line to report illegal fireworks, their use — and injuries tied to them — continue to be a problem in Sacramento County.
From July 1-5 this year the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District recorded 48 fires related to fireworks, according to a report presented to the county Board of Supervisors. That’s up from 30 recorded in 2022, but down from a high of 56 in 2021.
While fireworks made up only 2.8% of the total calls this year’s Fourth of July week, they made up almost a third of all fires.
“Those have the potential to do an immense amount of damage, destruction and potentially could cause loss of life,” said Captain Parker Wilbourn, a public information officer for Metro Fire.
Overall, firefighters responded to 160 fires over those five days, up 25% over 2021 and 48% from 2022. Total calls were up 9% to more than 1,700.
Wilbourn said tip lines where concerned citizens can report illegal fireworks use are an important tool, but can only go so far.
"We don't have the resources to respond to a thousand calls for service in a very short window,” he said. “Whether it's law or fire, we just don't. We have to rely on the community to make good decisions."
Wilbourn said most people do. But the report showed Sac Metro firefighters were sometimes blocked from getting to the scene of illegal fireworks reports, had fireworks hurled at them and encountered “indifference to authority.”
Fires weren’t entirely related to illegal fireworks. Legal fireworks accounted for 12 fires this Fourth of July week, up from eight last year and six in 2021.
"We've had people get injured from legal fireworks,” Wilbourn said. “We've had an amputation this year from legal fireworks. We've had fatal fires from legal fireworks."
Wilbourn said improper use, handling and disposal are usually to blame when there's an incident involving legal fireworks, and that the illegal types are dangerous even when handled properly. Authorities in Sacramento County confiscated more than a ton of illegal fireworks on Fourth of July, according to the report.
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