The stats are in: the Fourth of July weekend and its lead-up kept emergency services quite busy, resulting in more than $88,000 in fines for the use of illegal fireworks, a small house fire that had to be put out, multiple arrests and 25,000 pounds of banned pyrotechnics being confiscated.
The Los Banos Police Department released a statement outlining the issuance of 71 administrative citations for the use of illegal fireworks from July 4 through July 6. Each citation carries a $1,250 fine, meaning the department handed out $88,750 in penalties. The police spokesman could not be reached prior to presstime to be asked whether 71 citations is a high number of fines for the department to distribute during the holiday period.
In California, legal fireworks have a designation of Safe and Sane, and local jurisdictions regulate if and when fireworks can be used. Legal fireworks are not allowed to be used in Los Banos after 10 p.m. on July 4.
The Los Banos Fire Department may have found itself dousing a fire started by fireworks set off after the time they can be used legally. Assistant Fire Chief Brandon Dorenbush said three fire engines responded to a house fire on the 400 block of L Street at 12:47 a.m. on July 5.
Dorenbush said a portion of the exterior of the home was on fire, and the blaze spread inside to a corner of the kitchen floor. Firefighters put the fire out in 20 minutes, he said, but personnel remained on the scene for hours afterward to make sure hot spots did not cause the fire to reignite.
Dorenbush said he estimates the home suffered $50,000 to $60,000 worth of fire damage. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but fireworks cannot be ruled out, Dorenbush said.
Even before the Fourth of July, emergency services were dealing with illegal fireworks violations.
On July 3 police issued five administrative complaints to four adults and one juvenile, totaling $6,250 in fines.
Those citations were in connection with the June 20 discovery of 20,000 pounds of illegal fireworks at a storage facility on the 1500 block of Ortigalita Road. Police subsequently made three arrests for the banned pyrotechnics.
Mellon Moseley III, 55, and Hektor Cruz Flores, 23, both of Los Banos, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of more than 5,000 pounds of dangerous fireworks and possession of illegal explosives. Also Los Banos resident Lindbergh Corpuz Arrocena, 60, was arrested on suspicion of possession of illegal explosives.
Police are now touting that they have taken 25,000 pounds of illegal fireworks off the streets. The seized fireworks will be transported to the California Fire Marshal’s Arson and Bomb Unit for disposal.
