One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
A whole lot of fireworks and a whole lot of fires: SoCal firefighters had a busy July Fourth
So-called safe and sane fireworks are legal in a few Southern California cities, including Hawthorne. But in most of the area, all fireworks are illegal.
(
Francine Orr
/
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
)
Listen
0:50
A whole lot fireworks and a whole lot of fires: SoCal firefighters had a busy July 4th
Fireworks were identified as the possible cause of the Rancho Fire that burned near homes in Laguna Beach on Monday, but that was just one of the fireworks-related fires in recent days. The Orange County, L.A. County, and L.A. city fire departments all saw huge upticks in fires on the notoriously busy Fourth of July holiday.
Fireworks were identified as the possible cause of the Rancho Fire that burned near homes in Laguna Beach on Monday, but that was just one of the fireworks-related fires in recent days.
Listen
0:50
A whole lot fireworks and a whole lot of fires: SoCal firefighters had a busy July 4th
The Orange County, L.A. County, and L.A. city fire departments all saw huge upticks in fires on the notoriously busy Fourth of July holiday.
“We’re double-digit busier than we typically are handling fire-type calls and injury-type calls related to fireworks than on any other day,” said Brian Humphrey, a spokesperson for the L.A. Fire Department.
Beyond igniting fires, fireworks also account for a big spike in pollution around the Fourth of July. And this year, tragedy struck in Orange County when an 8-year-old girl was killed by an errant firework. Elsewhere, fireworks stockpiles exploded in Pacoima and Simi Valley, killing two people and damaging several homes.
-
Tickets from the Sept. 22 grand opening through the end of next February were up for grabs as of Tuesday. -
Populations of two disease-carrying mosquito species are concerning public health officials, who are employing new strategies to reduce their populations. -
The inaugural event kicks off Friday, July 24. The crawl includes stores from Pasadena to Santa Monica, from Montrose to Manhattan Beach.
L.A. County Fire responded to 333 fires on July 4th this year — compared with 255 last year and 197 the year before that, according to Capt. Sheila Kelliher Berkoh. For comparison, a few Fridays ago on June 13, they responded to 23.
Sponsored message
The Orange County Fire Authority responded to 51 fire calls. On average, they respond to about seven fire-related incidents a day, said Capt. Greg Barta, a department spokesperson.
None of the departments could definitively say how many of those fires were fireworks-related.
For instance, Humphrey said that the LAFD responded to 181 rubbish fires, a category that includes fireworks-related incidents and fires at homeless encampments.
The good news is that fireworks-related calls decline almost immediately after the holiday.
That is, until the next big holiday for fireworks: New Year’s Eve.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
