Independence Day is Thursday, and the days leading up to the Fourth of July holiday are filled with fun, patriotism, and unfortunately illegal fireworks. The Sheriff’s Department received 11 reports about illegal fireworks over the weekend.
The Morongo Basin is experiencing triple digit temperatures which are expected to continue thorughout this week, in what the National Weather Service is expected to implement an excessive heat on the fourth.
With hot, dry, and windy conditions expected, the threat posed by illegal fireworks is multiplied in our area.
Any and all fireworks are illegal Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, and unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County, which includes Joshua Tree, Landers, Morongo Valley, Wonder Valley, Johnson Valley and more areas in our community. Fireworks are prohibited inside of Joshua Tree National Park or Bureau of Land Management Controlled Lands.
Fire officials will be issuing citations for the illegal use, possession, or storage of fireworks with fines up to $1,250 for the first offense with the possibility of arrest. Property owners may be cited if they allow fireworks to be possessed, stored, or used on their property. All fireworks that explode, shoot into the air or move along the ground are termed dangerous and are illegal anywhere in California.
During her appearance on last week’s Z107.7 Up Close Show, San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair and local 3rd District Representative Dawn Rowe described the threat posed by fireworks, and told host Gary Daingeault about new penalties for allowing fireworks on your property. Rowe said
“It’s not just the person lighting off the fireworks that can get in trouble. It’s also the person who owns the property where the fireworks are being set off. And it’s important for folks to know that. Even if the person who lit off the fireworks flees, the owner of the property is still liable.”
That doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate! Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, and Tortoise Rock Casino will be shooting off fireworks for everyone to see beginning at 9 p.m. on July 4. Tune into Z107.7 to hear music simulcast with these fireworks shows, and visit Knott Sky Park or Tortoise Rock Casino in Twentynine Palms to see Gary Daigneault and Cody Joseph broadcasting live.
