Lathrop fire crews emphasize firework safety after blaze caused by city's birthday celebration

CBS News

03-07-2025

Lathrop residents got more than what they anticipated from the city's birthday celebration and fireworks show Tuesday night.
"We had some small spot fires that occurred as a result of the fireworks launch, which were controlled pretty quickly," Lathrop-Manteca Fire District Chief David Bramell said. "Then we had some fireworks that went beyond, or at least some embers from the fireworks, that went beyond our fallout zone into some vegetation that was a little thicker."
This isn't uncommon for fireworks shows. Because of that, crews at the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District were prepared.
"We evaluate, we look at the permitting process, we make sure that things are in accordance with standards and policies and then we provide staff to that is dedicated to stand by at the incident," Chief Bramell explained. "Then, because it's a big community event, we also have additional resources that are at the event itself, which was the case [Tuesday] night."
Due to this five-to-10-acre blaze, Chief Bramell wanted to make a point for those considering hosting their own illegal fireworks show.
"It's very important to understand that in an event like this, we were prepared with resources on site and that's why we're able to handle the fire relatively quickly," he said.
That statement was proven true less than 24 hours later when a new fire sparked next to Tuesday night's blaze.
Crews put out the flames quickly Wednesday, but it shows how fast a fire in these conditions can get out of hand and why illegal fireworks are outlawed.
"We knew where it was going, but that is not the case for the lay person out there," Chief Bramell said. "We do admonish people to exercise caution on the 4th and to not use dangerous fireworks, illegal fireworks, at all."
He went on to say the city has hosted this event at the same site for fireworks shows over the past several years and has experienced similar fires to the one seen Tuesday night.
Regardless, he said the district is evaluating how the event was handled and if they need to make any improvements for future events.