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Riverside County begins annual crackdown on illegal fireworks
Riverside County officials began their annual crackdown on illegal fireworks on Monday, just a week before the Fourth of July.
This year's message, "If You Light It, We'll Write It," refers to potential citations that people could face if they're caught breaking Ordinance No. 858.
Officials will continue their crackdown until the second week of July. Personnel with the Riverside County Fire and Sheriff's departments, as well as the Department of Code Enforcement will partner with officers from other municipal agencies to find people igniting fireworks without a permit to do so.
"Fires ignited by illegal fireworks can quickly spread, endangering homes, lives and wildlife in our communities," said Riverside County Fire Chief Bill Weiser in a statement. "We need your help to get the word out that transporting and setting illegal explosives is not only a serious cost to your pocket, but a grave risk to public safety."
Last year, nearly 400 citations were issued and 10 people were arrested on misdemeanor allegations of transporting illegal fireworks, officials said.
Related: San Bernardino considers ban on all fireworks ahead of Fourth of July
In early-June, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 bilingual public awareness messaging campaign to help deter the use of illegal fireworks. They have implemented electronic message signs, digital billboards and broadcast messages to spread word of the potential consequences one could face.
Last week, the city of Riverside also announced that they would similarly be cracking down on illegal fireworks, as the police department prepares to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles to document instances where the fireworks are lit and help identify suspects.
First-time penalties for illegally using fireworks are $1,500, officials said. A series of amendments to Ordinance No. 858, which were implemented in 2021, raised the potential penalties from their previous totals. They now range between $1,000 and $5,000, officials said.
"We saw first-hand last summer how fireworks can cause catastrophic property damage," said Riverside Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson. "Be smart — don't shoot off fireworks. The risk to lives and property is real, and the consequences for getting caught just aren't worth it."
She was referring to the Hawarden Fire, which engulfed 600 acres of brush and destroyed seven homes last July after a group of boys lit fireworks in a dry field near Hawarden Drive and Mary Street. Two teenagers were charged with over two dozen felony offenses in connection with the blaze.
Related: New video suggests Palisades Fire ignition point burned just days earlier
