Sacramento Authorities Hope Recent Illegal Fireworks Arrest Shows Department Means Business With Crackdown

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Fireworks can bring plenty of oohs and aahs, but illegal ones can also bring handcuffs.

"Hopefully people realize that if they're selling illegal fireworks, to stop, because we will seek out and try to make arrests," said Cpt. Chris Vestal with the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District.

One of those arrests come last Friday.

Investigators charged a man with two felonies and a misdemeanor for allegedly selling illegal fireworks, taking more than 100 pounds of them off the street. The hope is this fireworks arrest shows they mean business for those who set them off.

"Absolutely. Our fire season started a little early this year," said fire investigator Paul Tualla, Fire Investigator with Metro Fire. "It's marked on there, shoots flaming balls on to the packaging and, it has the potential of starting a house fire, grass fire, anything of that sort."

Potential fires are something people in Sacramento County don't want to see happen.

"I'm concerned about the drought situation we have here right now and how dry everything is," Steve Wismer of Carmichael said. "Whether it's legal or illegal, we could all find a way to have things go up."

The dry conditions that we are seeing this year are also a reason for a bigger effort to crack down on the illegal fireworks.

"We're going to see more fires. We know it. The reality is that's going to cause us to have more resources that are deployed. That could result in more injuries," Vestal said. "Whether it's fires, injuries, loss of property, that's just something we need to put a stop to."

It isn't just the county looking to put a stop to the illegal fireworks. The City of Sacramento is looking to adopt a new ordinance fining homeowners for illegal fireworks. The county doesn't have an ordinance like that at this time.

But, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office says you can still face a misdemeanor or possibly a felony for illegal fireworks.

Whether it's finding it online, through a phone tip or word of mouth, some are glad there's a crackdown on illegal fireworks being fired up.

"They're working on making the community safe," Joe Avagyan of Carmichael said.

"I think the more they crack down, the better," Claire Andrews of Carmichael said.

Sacramento Metro Fire also wants to remind people that you can buy legal fireworks with the "Safe and Sane," label on them.

But, the department says they're only legal the seven days before the Fourth of July.