Here’s how many July 4 incidents and illegal fireworks citations Fresno Fire handled

City officials said Tuesday that illegal fireworks caused a blaze that burned three homes in central Fresno on the Fourth of July.

The two-alarm blaze erupted about 9:40 p.m near North Farris, North Harrison, and East Thomas avenues. It was one of 88 fires, including 41 grass fires, that crews responded to on Monday and into Tuesday. Sontaya Rose, spokeswoman for the city, said there were a total of 309 calls for service between 4 p.m. and 2 a.m., as loud blasts shook the city and fireballs lit the sky.

No one had been cited or arrested for starting the three-house fire by Tuesday afternoon. Rose said 33 citations were issued Monday night and a total of 44 were handed out between July 1 and 4.

The Fresno City Council in April passed an ordinance amendment increasing the fines and widening who could be held accountable. Homeowners of where the fireworks are used, even if they themselves did not light the pyrotechnics, could face tickets.

The first fine is $2,000 — twice the previous fine — and subsequent fines would be $3,000 and $5,000 based on the number of repeat occurrences.

County, Clovis cases

The unincorporated parts of the county saw 23 fires on the Fourth, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief John Dominguez. He stressed that it’s unclear if illegal fireworks were responsible for all of the flames, but said they likely added to the number of incidents.

He said Cal Fire officers took 1,200 pounds of illegal fireworks during the weekend, which he said was higher than the typical year. He attributed the increase to two factors.

“People were reporting it,” he said. “We were out more looking for it.”

He said one citation was issued for someone using illegal fireworks. The citations in the county don’t come with an automatic fine value but rather the fee is determined by a judge.

Clovis police issued zero tickets, department spokesperson Ty Wood said. Fines there are $1,000.

The department is considered short-staffed, he said, and 10 officers were already assigned to watch over the Freedom Fest at Buchanan High School. Illegal fireworks fines can also be hard to enforce without witnessing them being used.

There were 36 calls related to illegal fireworks on the Fourth, Wood said, but there were also at least two DUI incidents, five fires, a commercial burglary and other calls.

“Like any agency, we have to prioritize life over property,” he said.

This story was originally published July 5, 2022 at 3:40 PM.