Fireworks inthesky, blazes on theground
With pro displays nixed, illicit pyrotechnics fill air, may have sparked hundreds of fires
SAN JOSE » A smoky haze that lingered over the Bay Area on Sunday was the fading remnant of thunderous illicit fireworks displays that may have caused hundreds of fires overnight.
Depending on whom you ask, the spontaneous shows were either a way for residents to share awe and joy during a time of unprecedented upheaval, or an ear-shattering nuisance that’s been building in intensity for weeks.
Either way, they brought with them a wave of small and large blazes in a region already steeped in serious fire danger.
Firefighters scrambled to respond to blazes that broke out Saturday night and early Sunday as illicit fireworks popped in the night sky, with residents emerging after months of stay-at-home orders to light everything from tiny sparklers to huge explosives.
There were about 60 fire calls between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday across Contra Costa County, Capt. George Laing said, with calls to multiple fires at the same time across the
department’s coverage area throughout the night.
“The fireworks were unfortunately a contributing factor to the busy night we had, and it was just intensely active with illegal fireworks,” Laing said. “Fireworks are illegal. But it doesn’t seem to have concerned the hundreds if not thousands who were lighting off all different types and causing fires around the Bay Area.”
In Santa Clara County, the Park Fire had burned about 350 acres by Sunday afternoon near Anderson Reservoir, though officials did not immediately pinpoint a likely cause for that blaze.
In San Francisco, fire officials said crews responded to about 110 fires in a 12hour span beginning at about 3 p.m. Saturday. The vast majority were caused by fireworks, authorities said.
Oakland fire spokesman Michael Hunt said the city experienced more fireworks activity than anyone could remember. He said roving patrols were able to respond quickly to avoid serious damage.
“Every corner of the city felt the noise or fear of the firework activity,” he said. “There were very few areas that didn’t have some activity going on.”
Hunt said the cancellation of professional fireworks shows because of the coronavirus pandemic flooded the market with high-caliber fireworks.
“Everything about this year seemed to be a little different and had everybody on edge,” he added. “It was unprecedented and incredibly dangerous.”
The Richmond Police Department responded to 299 fireworks-related calls, according to Lt. Matt Stonebraker.
Though most fires Saturday night were minor with little damage, some blazes spread through populated areas. In San Francisco, officials reported a 6-acre fire on Thomas Avenue, where several motor homes were saved.
Fire crews knocked down a fire just before 9 p.m. Saturday at Watson Park in San Jose, San Jose Fire Department Public Information Manger Erica Ray said.
Contra Costa fire crews responded to more than 50 fires before midnight, including a major blaze in the area of Southwood Drive and Oak Hills Drive in Pittsburg, fire spokesman Steve Hill said. In that fire, it took a crew of about 20 to keep homes from burning.
Crews at one point were simultaneously on the scene of 14 fires, three of them involving some type of building, Hill said. They were dispatching only a single fire engine to any nonstructure fire because of the demand for service.
In Alameda County, crews fought fires in Newark, Dublin San Leandro and more. Fire officials said they received more than 175 calls from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday, including seven structure fires, 14 for cars, trash containers and fences, and 22 grass or vegetation fires.
The smoke from the burning fires that settled over the Bay Area on Sunday was funneled southeast through the far South Bay.
The Bay Area Air Quality District issued an air quality advisory through today, noting that impacts would include smoky skies, smell of smoke and localized elevated particle pollution.
For some, the waves of pops, bangs and booms, terrifying to many pets and upsetting to some humans, weren’t completely unwelcome, prompting a feeling of unity amid an uncertain time for the nation.
In East Palo Alto, residents gathered in driveways and yards, sitting in lawn chairs or on the hoods of their cars to watch the spectacle. In a festive spirit, there was music, food, shouting, smoke and the distinct smell of sulfur as explosions erupted on the streets.
Elsewhere, Brooke Kerber, 23, of San Jose, said the fireworks felt out of place.
“I felt it was a strange Fourth of July made stranger by celebratory fireworks at night after weeks of fireworks to remind us each night that Black Lives Matter,” Kerber said.
She added that she was concerned about fires.