Fire in Scenic Heights
PFD: caused by illegal fireworks
A swift response and reliable work by units from Porterville Fire Department prevented what could have been a disaster for residents of the Scenic Heights neighborhood when a fire broke out Wednesday evening.
PFD units responded at approximately 8 p.m. Wednesday to North Highland Drive in north Porterville, where they found the steep hillside between the road and North Main St. ablaze.
PFD Chief Dave Lapere credits the quick action of fire crews with extinguishing the fire before it caused any injuries or structural damage, especially in difficult conditions at night, adding that between three to four acres were burned in the fire.
“They did an excellent job stopping that fire,” said Lapere. “The crews worked extremely hard up there. The terrain up there is extremely steep.”
It was determined that illegal fireworks were the cause, and the Fire Investigations Unit and Porterville Police Department worked together to apprehend suspects, who are now in custody.
The fire nearly reached the residence at 1475 N. Highland Drive, but Lapere said he didn’t believe anyone at that residence was responsible for starting the fire.
“It’s a very prominent home on the hill up there, and its owners were helping us and were very concerned,” said Lapere.
The incident is a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong with fireworks in dry conditions, and Lapere advises the public to exercise common sense and caution with the Fourth of July coming up.
“Always use ‘Safe and Sane’ fireworks that are marked by the State Fire Marshall’s Office,” he said. “If they don’t have that seal on them they are illegal fireworks.”
He added that the Fire Investigation Unit and PPD will be out “in force” during the Fourth of July, and people caught with illegal fireworks are subject to a $1,500 fine.
Fireworks booths around town are opening up this week, and in recent years some have shown up on high school campuses, which has some people in the community wondering whether explosives could legally be sold at a school site.
Lapere said they are allowed to sell approved fireworks on school sites because they are not technically classified as explosives in the California Fire Code.
The booths are checked on periodically by fire marshalls, inspectors and Porterville Code Enforcement. Before they can open for business they have to meet several requirements, including a fire extinguisher, safe electrical connections, and a minimum distance from existing structures. An adult must be in a booth at all times, and individuals must be 18 to sell fireworks and 16 to purchase them.
Even with all the safeguards, however, some can’t resist the temptation of a ‘bigger bang,’ and Lapere reminds the public that tampering with legal fireworks to increase their effect is a serious crime.
“If you modify ‘Safe and Sane’ fireworks to bring about a different effect, you are breaking
the law and it’s a felony,” he said, adding they will be enforcing such incidents to the full extent of the law.
By complying with all laws and regulations during the holiday, the chief is hoping the community will avoid incidents like Wednesday’s fire and another episode he vividly recalls.
A few years back, some intoxicated individuals were setting off mortars (an illegal firework) in a residential when one tipped over right after ignition and fired through the window of a neighbor’s house, exploding in the living room.
“Every square inch of that room— the couch, the TV, everything— had a burn mark on it,” said Lapere. “And in that room were a mother and her infant who had just by chance left to go to another room. The complications in one’s life who did that would be immense.”