Reports of Illegal Firework Displays Surge Over Weekend

Over a thousand complaints were reported in Los Angeles over the weekend after fireworks filled the city’s skyline. Firework displays were banned across the city due to COVID-19 and residents of LA were warned by Mayor Eric Garcetti not to set them off since they are already illegal within the city. However, by 10 p.m. on Saturday, the LA Police Department reported they had received over 1,000 complaints. It’s still unclear how many were celebration related, but the LA fire department also claimed they responded to over 100 fires that night. In at least one instance, eight apartments were destroyed and five people injured when some palm trees caught fire as the result of fireworks. There have been a surge in reports of illegal fireworks being set off across the west coast, especially in recent weeks. Fireworks have also been a problem in the northeast, including cities like New York City and Boston. New York mayor Bill de Blasio said it’s “not just a quality of life problem and a noise problem…but it can also be dangerous.”