Jul 5, 2008 2:26 am US/Pacific
Illegal Fireworks Abound On Oakland, SF Streets
OAKLAND (CBS 5 / KCBS) ―
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Illegal fireworks are lit off on a city street.
CBS
Despite advance efforts by police and firefighters to remind the public how dangerous illegal fireworks are, and that on this Fourth of July, people caught using them in Oakland would be fined $1,000 dollars — plenty of people took to the streets of Oakland and San Francisco to set them off anyway.
Earlier Friday, Oakland police staged an illegal fireworks demonstration and blew up an M-80 which destroyed a mannequin and set-off several nearby car alarms.
James Andrew, the Deputy Chief of the Oakland Fire Department, pleaded with the public to not use illegal fireworks as Fourth of July tends to be the busiest time of year for firefighters.
"I've responded to multiple fires. Fourth of July, Fourth of July weekend, the time around Fourth of July is our busiest time of year, and Fourth of July is our busiest day by far. We see a dramatic increase in building fires, in outside fires, and also emergency medical calls."
Firefighters were even more concerned this year as resources were stretched thin with thousands of firefighters out fighting hundreds of wildfires across the state.
Andrew said that in his 25 years of fire service, he'd never seen the wildfire situation this bad.
Illegal fireworks sparked one fire in Oakland Friday night, but firefighters were able to move in on it quickly.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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