A California community is offering up to $500 rewards to citizens to report people selling illegal fireworks ahead of the Fourth of July.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s crime stoppers partnered together to offer citizens rewards to ‘help prevent the possession, sale, and use of illegal fireworks’ leading up to America’s 250th birthday next weekend.
The reward will go to residents who provide police with information that ‘leads to the identification and arrest of individuals possessing illegal fireworks with the intent to sell them.’
Fireworks can start fires, injure people, damage property, and cause emotional distress for pets and veterans.
‘The Sheriff’s Office reminds residents that fireworks, other than permitted professional displays, are prohibited in all unincorporated areas of San Luis Obispo County,’ it said in a statement.
In Los Angeles, approximately 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks were taken from a Lancaster home on Thursday by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Police seized the fireworks after serving a warrant.
Cal Fire is reminding citizens across the state that there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal fireworks.
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s crime stoppers partnered together to offer citizens up to $500 for reporting the sale of illegal fireworks
Californians can legally buy fireworks in the state, but only specifically marked ones. Illegal ones are dangerous to people and property
Californians in 297 communities can buy ‘Safe and Sane’ labeled fireworks from licensed retailers between June 28 and July 6.
Only certain types are permitted, including ground and hand-held sparkling devices.
Display fireworks require a license.
Those who set off illegal fireworks face up to $10,000 fines and possible jail time.
‘We need Californians to know what is legal, what is not, where fireworks are allowed and permitted in local communities, and most importantly, the risks that they carry,’ State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Berlant said more than twelve wildfires have already been sparked by fireworks this year.
Around 1,000 pounds of illegal fireworks were seized from a Los Angeles County home on Thursday
A wildfire in San Diego in June. More than a dozen wildfires have started this year due to fireworks in California
‘That is over a dozen preventable fires that put communities, people, and first responders at risk,’ he said.
In 2025, nearly 750 fires were started by fireworks in the Golden State. It burned through nearly 600 acres of land and caused nearly $16 million in damages, Berlant said.
