July 4th explosives bring ‘tragedies every year’ — LA, OC officials warn of illegal fireworks

Leaders in Los Angeles and Orange counties warned residents on Thursday, July 2 of the dangers of illegal fireworks – what some officials referred to simply as “explosives” – as residents prepare to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary on the Fourth of July.

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Illegal fireworks, they said in separate press conferences, pose a significant risk of injury and wildfires.

“We encounter tragedies every year,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

One child lost a hand in recent years, he said, and another a foot.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Bomb Squad detonated a watermelon with an illegal firework. Firefighters tossed a lit sparkler into a container of dry brush — within minutes, the brush was engulfed in flames.

“Some of the most heartbreaking calls of my career have happened on or around the Fourth of July,” said TJ McGovern, interim chief of the Orange County Fire Authority. “Today, our message is simple: Celebrate legally, celebrate responsibly, and please do not let one bad decision change your life forever.”

Pro tip by the officials: Impaired people should not handle any fireworks.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell urged parents to know where their children are and to talk with them about the dangers of fireworks.

“These are not toys, they are explosives,” McDonnell said.

Dr. Andrew Vardanian, the director of the UCLA Health Regional Burn Center at UCLA West Valley Medical Center, said the emergency room see tragedies each year from fireworks.

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“It breaks my heart to see a one-year-old with injuries to their hand that are permanent,” he said. “Save yourself the suffering. … The 10 seconds, 30 seconds of a home firework is not worth it.”

A sparkler’s center can reach 2,000 degrees.

“If a child is holding this, what else can we expect but damage and destruction?” Vardanian said. “If the child wants to hold something that lights up, how about a glow stick, something that is not on fire.”

The officials offered advice:

• If someone suffers a burn that does not require immediate emergency care, advised Dr. Sayed Saquib, director of the UCI Health Regional Burn Center, put the affected area under cool — not ice-cold — running water for 20 minutes, applying ointment and a clean, dry dressing, and then seek medical attention.
• Jaime Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, recommended that residents clear brush away from their homes on the off-chance a firework goes off-target.
• McGovern urged residents in communities allowing “safe and sane” fireworks to use them only in clear, open areas away from homes, vehicles, pets, people and anything else that could catch fire. He also advised soaking both used and unused fireworks in water before disposing of them.
• If a firework fails to ignite, people should not attempt to relight it or pick it up.

Last year, firefighters responded to 87 fireworks-related blazes in the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s jurisdiction, causing $880,000 in damage, Chief Anthony Marrone said.

This year, in January, two brothers died in a Bell Gardens apartment from an explosion while assembled a homemade firework, he added.

In May, another person died when, officials said, a cache of fireworks exploded at a home near Jefferson Park in Los Angeles.  More than 600 pounds of illegal fireworks had been stored there, officials said, with Los Angeles city firefighters putting out the ensuing fire at the house and a detached garage.

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“Why expose your family to these dangers?” L.A. Fire Chief Moore said.