Under California law, all fireworks that explode, shoot into the air, or move along the ground are considered dangerous and are illegal to possess without a permit. That includes firecrackers, skyrockets, roman candles, mortars, and “chasers” that dart along the ground, and safe and sane fireworks that have been modified. On a typical Fourth of July, fireworks cause more fires in the U.S. than all other causes combined. In addition to fires, fireworks cause deaths, blindness, maiming injuries to children and adults, re-traumatize war veterans suffering from PTSD, and frighten household pets. Hilary Sloane says the San Bernardino County Fire Department confiscated tens of thousands of illegal fireworks over the last month…
The San Bernardino County Fireworks Interdiction Taskforce targeted key entry points into the county, specifically I-15 from Nevada, conducting vehicle checks and searching out illegal fireworks between early June and July 4. Investigators confiscated about 40,000 pounds of illegal fireworks during that time. In addition to distributing hundreds of warnings, the taskforce issued 245 citations resulting in $306,250 in fines. This year, the county’s fire marshal implemented a new app—the Illegal Fireworks Reporter app—where the public could report the sale and use of illegal fireworks, and received more than 1,500 complaints on the app.
