Sparked by illegal fireworks, the blaze spread quickly in a North Sacramento field. Within minutes, the Sacramento Fire Department was on scene.
“The amount of illegal fireworks that I saw going off in the sky was unbelievable,” said Keith Wade, as he recalled battling a fire in July 2018. A firefighter and captain, Wade said the fireworks put both people and property in jeopardy.
“The sad thing about it is, it doesn’t need to happen,” he said.
Every year in the weeks leading up to July 4, many communities in Sacramento see the use of illegal fireworks increase.
In addition to creating a fire hazard, these fireworks and their loud explosions disturb many, including residents, veterans and family pets.
In an effort to curb illegal firework use, the City of Sacramento created a mitigation task force in 2018.
Sponsored by Vice Mayor Eric Guerra and Councilmemeber Rick Jennings, the team is made up of Police and Fire personnel that work to remove illegal fireworks from the community.
While the task force netted over 2,000 pounds of seized illegal fireworks and dozens of arrests in 2018, the help of residents is needed to make a larger dent in a problem that has been all too common during June and July.
“The best way citizens can help us is by providing a complete description of who is using illegal fireworks and where they are being used,” said Sergeant Vance Chandler with the Sacramento Police Department. “Our mitigation task force is committed to following up on every complaint and conducting maximum enforcement.”
To report the use of illegal fireworks in the City of Sacramento, send an email to fireworks@pd.cityofsacramento.org.
Residents can leave a detailed message with a description of a person, address, or even license plate info.
“It is very helpful when the contacting party provides contact information because this provides our officers the opportunity to conduct follow up.” said Chandler.