More recently, a South Los Angeles neighborhood was rattled on an otherwise quiet Sunday night in March with a barrage of illegal aerial fireworks that reportedly lasted around 45 minutes. An internal investigation led to a 10-day suspension of the officer. Due to what has since been determined as a bomb squad technician of the Los Angeles Police Department placing too many of the seized explosive devices inside a containment vessel at one time, a huge blast resulted, injuring 17 people and causing major damage. Two months later, a tip to police led to thousands of pounds of illegal fireworks being confiscated at a home in South Central L.A. The fatal accident also caused at least $3.2 million in damage. One incident that made national news occurred in March 2021 when, while California was still imposing capacity restrictions and distancing requirements, a massive explosion of illegally possessed commercial-grade fireworks killed two and rocked an entire neighborhood in Ontario. The need to let off steam during confining lockdown conditions is often blamed. Seaside or inland, communities up and down the Golden State are seeing a surge in illegal fireworks-related calls, and many first responders will say that the number has escalated since the COVID-19 pandemic. (File photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) See more: These 60 Southern California cities permit state-approved fireworks Problems escalating Fireworks can be heard exploding as black smoke rises from a home in Ontario after a loud explosion was heard as far away as Riverside on Tuesday, March 16, 2021.“Because of this, citizens need to be especially cognizant and, as always, abide by all fireworks laws in their community.” “Record rainfall has increased fuel loads in our wildlands,” said Brian Fennessy, fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority. Positive as that may sound in terms of fire danger, it’s actually a double-edged sword, says the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for unincorporated areas of Orange County. Last year, alone, incidents numbered over three times above the state average, causing serious injuries and millions of dollars in property damage.Īll the precipitation earlier this year has led to California not being in an “extreme” drought for the first time since April 2020, according to the U.S. In the past five years, firefighters have responded to more than 5,000 emergencies caused by fireworks, according to Cal Fire. California’s dry climate is always cause for concern when it comes to fireworks as agencies from the Office of the State Fire Marshal down to the local level warn every year around this time. One reason is where there’s smoke, there’s fire. But even as fireworks-related injuries are at historic lows, according to national statistics, anxiety may be at an all-time high in the Golden State. Inherent worries over safety and noise have always separated fireworks from baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and other relatively benign symbols of Americana. Little did Adams know that his star-spangled suggestion would spark concern and criticism nearly 250 years later. But with skyrocketing prices, an upswing in illegal lighting, tougher regulations and myriad other challenges facing the use of pyrotechnics in California, it seems to be getting harder and harder to continue a tradition started by one of our Founding Fathers back in 1776.īefore becoming our second president, John Adams predicted a country reveling with “bonfires and illuminations” in a letter to his wife on the eve of the Second Continental Congress officially telling the tyrant King George III to take a hike. Decked out in patriotic red, white and blue, the Fourth of July is a federal holiday commemorating our nation’s declaration of independence from England.
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