Illegal fireworks: Where do they come from?
During every Fourth of July celebration, illegal fireworks in Clark County cause injuries and damage to property.
Ahead of the holiday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police has already confiscated illegal fireworks. They confiscated over 2,500 pounds of illegal fireworks last year.
Where do illegal fireworks come from?
“Fireworks that are ‘safe and sane’ are allowed to be displayed and lit anywhere. It’s the illegal fireworks that are not approved,” said Martin Casillas, a Clark County fire inspector.
It is illegal to bring fireworks into Clark County that are not bought and sold from permitted booths in Clark County.
Illegal fireworks, according to Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Touchstone, are most likely brought into Clark County from surrounding areas from such locations as Pahrump, Amargosa Valley and Moapa.
Touchstone added that it’s difficult to track whether illegal fireworks brought into Clark County were bought online and shipped to Clark County addresses.
Homemade fireworks are also illegal, Casillas said.
How liable are surrounding firework stores?
Firework stores in Pahrump are not responsible for the fireworks after they leave their doors.
“Usually, when a customer purchases illegal fireworks and then tries to transport them back to Clark County or in the Las Vegas Valley, we hold the customer who purchased them liable, not necessarily the retailer,” Touchstone said.
Reported complaints last year
Last year, there were 12,463 total reported fireworks complaints, with the number of reported complaints peaking at 10,199 on Jul. 4, according to data gathered on ISpyFireworks.com.
From the evening of Jul. 4 to early morning Jul. 5 last year, the department received 109 complaints, Touchstone said. On a typical day, the fire department responds to 11.3 complaints.
“Last year on July 4, we had 24 building fires. On a typical day, we have approximately seven reports of building fires,” added Touchstone.
Reporting illegal firework use
The Clark County Fire Department and Las Vegas Metropolitan police is insisting the public to keep the 911 line open for life-threatening emergencies and to report illegal firework use to ISpyFireworks.com.
Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.
