In recent weeks, firefighters have been extremely busy battling wildfires in the Southland.
But they’ve also been busy patrolling the borders separating California and its neighbors to the east.
What were they looking for? Illegal fireworks and so far they’ve been extremely successful.
Over 25,000 pounds of illegal fireworks were confiscated by San Bernardino County Fire Department fire marshals.
Seven days of operations this month resulted in fire investigators issuing 116 citations totaling $145,000 in fines.
As San Bernardino County faces an extreme and dangerous fire season, investigators increased interdiction operations and patrolling of neighborhoods.
“We will be issuing citations for the illegal use of fireworks, with fines up to $1,250 for the first offense with the possibility of arrest,” county fire spokesman Louis Penna said. “Property owners may be cited if they allow fireworks to be possessed, stored or used on their property.”
Triple-digit temperatures mixed with the launching of airborne and highly explosive illegal fireworks could be devastating in a community surrounded by dry vegetation.
“We are in what we call an elevated fire condition,” National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Dandrea recently said. “That’s when we have high heat and medium to stronger strength winds.”
San Bernardino County’s fire season is six weeks ahead of schedule due to winter rains. According to county fire’s predictive services department, the recent triple-digit temperatures have dried out the grass and chaparral that grew expediently because of the rainfall during the 2015 El Niño event and placed the county ahead of schedule in this year’s fire season.
“Wildfires are a year-round reality in San Bernardino County,” county fire spokeswoman Tracey Martinez said. “This means that both firefighters and residents have to be on a heightened alert for the threat of wildfire. But being this far ahead of schedule is alarming.”