SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — With Fourth of July just around the corner, it's important to remember to be safe when celebrating the holiday this weekend.
According to San Diego Fire Rescue, fireworks are illegal in the city and San Diego County. They’re also potentially dangerous for people of all ages, including children.
You might see fireworks for sale in San Diego County, which can be confusing. However, San Diego firefighters want to make it clear that these are, in fact, illegal countywide.
”A lot of them have a state fire marshall logo, so they think that they’re legal, but it goes county by county,” said Firefighter Paramedic Mark Alvarez. “So these are illegal.”
“A lot of kids are enticed by fireworks - the pretty colors, how far they shoot with the sparklers,” said Alma Lowry, Fire Captain & Community Resource Officer with SDFR. “These are all very, very dangerous. They burn hot, even though when you think they’re out, they’re not out.”
Lowry said skin burn injuries and eye injuries are both common with young children on Fourth of July. That includes sparklers.
"It’s really easy for kids when they’re running around to grab the wrong side of them or to have it lay on their clothes and they’ll go up in flames pretty quickly, causing pretty severe burns,” said Tessa Haviland, Director of Marketing for the Burn Institute.
Lowry also warned against lighting any fireworks in brush. It’s brush fire season and this could be dangerous.
Even if you find old fireworks in the garage, those can be a possible fire hazard. That’s why if you find illegal fireworks, you can carefully put them in a box and drop them off at any fire station - no questions asked.
Alvarez said, if you see illegal fireworks in San Diego County, it means people likely drove down to Mexico or over to Arizona to buy them.
“You don’t know if you’ve got 10 seconds or one second when the fuse lights, [or] whether you’re going to be able to get away from it,” said Alvarez. “You have no idea whether it’s going to be a dud or go what we call ‘high order’ which is a massive explosion.”
Illegal fireworks are different than big firework shows you can attend at places like SeaWorld. Those are regulated by professionals.
The Burn Institute also recommended alternatives, like glow sticks.
”You just crack ‘em, hand ‘em to kids,” said Haviland. “They come in a ton of different colors. Kids can run around them with in the dark.”
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