Firefighters Demonstrate Dangers Of Illegal Fireworks

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA – A volatile combination of dry grass, warm winds and Fourth of July fireworks have Contra Costa County firefighters in extra alert mode, stepping up training ahead of wildland fire season and appealing to residents to both clear dry brush and steer clear of using fireworks.

To drive those points home, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District firefighters on Tuesday demonstrated what happens when tinder-dry grass and fireworks meet.

On a patch of dry grasslands on Antioch's eastern edge, a firefighter dropped a common sparkler-"one of the smallest, simplest fireworks," according to district spokesman Steve Hill.

The result? "Within five seconds, a fire that no homeowner would be able to control," Hill said.

Firefighters then put out that fire as part of their annual wildland fire training, which occurs at the start of each fire season. Each firefighter gets 10 days of this training, Hill said. The season this year started in mid-May.

"It gets earlier and earlier each year," Hill said.

He noted that in the more remote parts of the East Bay, the dry vegetation and the abundant "interface" areas where nature meets civilization, is the same kind of ripe ground for the sort of wildfires that devastated many parts of the North Bay in 2017.

And though all fireworks are illegal in every part of Contra Costa County, "safe and sane" fireworks are available before July 4 in Dublin and 11 other cities in the greater Bay Area.

Hill estimates that "hundreds" of fires each season in Contra Costa County are caused by fireworks, many of them bought in states where many types of fireworks are readily available.

The fire district has requirements for weed abatement to keep sufficient "defensible space" around structures to reduce the risk of them burning in a grass fire. Those requirements can be found at http://www.cccfpd.org/exterior-hazards.php.

• ALSO SEE: SF Bay Area July 4th Fireworks, Parades and More: 2018 Guide

--Bay City News/Images via Contra Costa County Fire Protection District