ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) – The sound of illegal fireworks has become a new normal at night across the Bay Area.
Neighbors in Alameda County say the loud booms carry on for hours into the early morning and officials say they’re receiving more complaints than usual.
While we typically see and hear more fireworks during the week of July 4th, neighbors say they’ve been hearing the loud pops continually now for several weeks.
It may be all fun and games for some, others say there are real health and safety concerns on top of the fireworks being illegal.
This is a nightly scene across many Bay Area cities.
In Alameda County, the use of illegal fireworks started several weeks ago and has gradually gotten worse as we approach July 4th.
“It’s every night. It’s not just weekends. It is every night,” Kathleen Kirkish said.
“It’s just loud booming, constantly. And I know there’s been other neighbors who’ve found kegs like giant firework kegs in the middle of the street,” Wilson said.
Martin Wilson lives in Alameda with his dog Cali.
“Every time she hears one of the big booms, she tries to run for cover or run underneath the bed,” Wilson said.
The loud booms also travel to the East Oakland Hills where Kathleen Kirkish says the fireworks concern many of her neighbors in the Sequoyah Heights neighborhood.
“We are just below Skyline Boulevard and that’s another area where people congregate, set off fireworks. Our concerns are around noise and nuisance but more specifically around fire danger,” Kirkish said.
She says many residents have called in about the illegal fireworks, but they’re not the only ones.
Many can no longer get through to the fireworks tip line for the Oakland police and fire department.
Meanwhile, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office says they’re also receiving more complaints than usual.
“From June 1st until today, we’ve taken almost 400 fireworks complaint calls in the unincorporated community of Alameda County, so Castro Valley, parts of San Leandro, Hayward and out toward Pleasanton and San Lorenzo,” Sergeant Ray Kelly said.
While the sheriff’s office says now’s a time they typically make large seizures of illegal fireworks, they say this year has been challenging.
“Law enforcement’s attention this year was not focused on fireworks and prevention as we were dealing with a lot of the issues going on in our communities along law enforcement so we believe that was a good opportunity for people who like to bring in fireworks from the state,” Kelly said.
Not only are these fireworks illegal but the sheriff’s office says they can be deadly if used improperly.
It’s also important to be conscious of your neighbors as the fireworks can negatively affect veterans, animals and livestock.
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