Firefighters Concerned About Firework Safety

Cathedral City Fire Department are warning residents of the potential dangers of fireworks heading into the 4th of July weekend.

Fireworks go on sale Monday starting at noon. Cathedral City Battalion Chief Robert Van Nortrick says stands are required to ID customers. Anyone under 18 are prohibited from buying fireworks.

The State Fire Marshal has a seal on approved fireworks; anyone caught with illegal fireworks will get a ticket or worse.

“If you end up with just a couple of illegal fireworks it could just be an infraction,”said Sgt. Julio Luna, with the Cathedral City Police Department. “Now, if you have a stock pile of these things that could be deemed as explosives then it would be serious charges. It could lead up to a felony.”

But, Van Nortrick says the fire department is finding fewer illegal fireworks since new safety requirements kicked in 5 years ago.

“We confiscated so many fireworks that year but the last couple years have been fairly quiet and people have been using safe and sane and using common sense lighting them off,” said Van Nortrick.

Van Nortrick said more than 7,000 people got hurt by fireworks last year. And, they sparked more than 22,000 fires.

Some basic safe tips include:

Only use fireworks outdoors, but stay away from cars, buildings and especially dry brush.

Always have an adult present.

Light one firework at a time.

Never try to re-light fireworks that don’t go off.

Always put out your fireworks right away.

Keep a bucket of water nearby to extinguish fireworks

Just a few simple tips to make sure your summer starts off with a bang, and, doesn’t end with a whimper.

For more tips on staying safe on the 4th of July, click here.