Fireworks fill the air on Fourth of July
The sound of fireworks could be heard throughout neighborhoods Sunday night, as people celebrated the Fourth of July.
The night sky was filled with beautiful colors as aerial displays popped off at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, but that public display had some competition. There were aerial fireworks detonating all around the area near the Fairgrounds.
People parked in vacant lots near the Fairgrounds, so they could see the show without actually having to get into the gnarled mess of traffic on and near Avenue H. In addition to the fireworks being detonated, the night air was filled with the sound of sirens. Deputies, as well as fire personnel could be seen driving around the Avenue H area, responding to various calls. Around 11:40 p.m. Sunday night, a large fire was reported at 45th Street West and Avenue L. It was extinguished before deputies arrived.
At approximately 10:40 p.m. a fire was reported on Division Street and Palmdale Boulevard, at the Knight’s Inn, in which trees and brush were on fire.
A median fire at Challenger Way and Avenue J was reported at approximately 10:42 p.m.
There was a vehicle fire in the motel parking lot of America’s Best Value Inn on Sierra Highway around the same time as the median fire.
A spot fire was reported at East Avenue Q-12 and Orchid View also around the same time as the previous two.
And yet another fire was reported at Sierra Highway and Avenue O that turned out to be half an acre.
These are just a few of the calls that kept the Sheriff’s Department and Fire Department busy last night. We haven’t even mentioned the other calls for service to which they responded.
In the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale warned residents about lighting illegal fireworks. They were even threatened with citations if caught, but apparently that didn’t make a difference.
We received many letters from readers who were concerned that their neighborhoods had turned into what sounded like war zones, as a barrage of fireworks assaulted them nightly and as early as May. Readers and city officials all pleaded with those lighting the fireworks to have some consideration for their neighbors — especially the elderly, those suffering from PTSD and other disorders and also for pets.
If the calls outlined above are any indication, those pleas were ignored. Celebrating was more important for some folks than common courtesy. Hopefully everyone kept their pets indoors last night, but we’re almost certain that some got out and are now wandering around, trying to find their way home.
While it’s nice to be able to celebrate the Fourth of July in a more “normal” way, especially after 2020, we should always take into consideration that our idea of celebrating may actually affect others in a negative way.
Just as we hope that most people are courteous to their neighbors and don’t play loud music after a certain time, we hope that most would take into consideration that hearing loud bangs and pops could have a negative affect on some people, but apparently they do not.
It’ll be interesting to see how many citations were issued for illegal fireworks. It’s something we’re working on, so watch for it in a future edition of the Antelope Valley Press.