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7h ago

Sacramento Task Force to Mail Dozens of Fireworks Citations as Fire Departments Investigate Holiday Blazes

Ten enforcement teams use drones from unmarked vehicles to document per-device violations with fines projected to top hundreds of thousands of dollars

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Oakland firefighters battle a blaze on the 1600 block of 78th Avenue caused by illegal fireworks Friday night, in an image taken from video. 
Oakland firefighters battle a warehouse blaze Friday, a day that saw an exhausting 64 fires around the city, up from the usual dozen.

Overview

  • As of July 6, ten field teams from the Illegal Fireworks Mitigation Task Force continue neighborhood patrols with drones and unmarked vehicles.
  • The department has around 60 citations in the works from violations documented on July 3 and 4 that are projected to generate fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  • California’s new per-device fine structure starts at $1,000 for the first illegal firework and escalates to $10,000 at parks, schools and other critical infrastructure under social host liability.
  • Fire departments across Northern California are investigating multiple grass, tree and structural fires suspected to have been ignited by illegal fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday.
  • Officials say collected fines will help recoup the skyrocketing costs of emergency responses that surged alongside this year’s fireworks-related fire spikes.