San Jose set to crack down on illegal fireworks amid extremely dry conditions
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Fire Department is increasing patrols and visibility on this 4th of July holiday in hopes of preventing fireworks use and fires in the parched, dry hillsides overlooking the city.
"It really is like kindling. It is very easy to set on fire," said Nicholas Ostrom who biked up Mt. Hamilton Road on the 4th.
Ostrom said the landscape has been transformed by the summer, dry season and a deepening drought. He says it would not take much to set the hill ablaze -- one errant match or one wayward firework.
"Given how light much of this flammable material is like the grasses, it's very easy for a light bit of wind to pick up a burning ember and pass it over to the other side of the road and then it just keeps going," Ostrom said.
San Jose firefighters hope that big, new fines, starting at $1,000 for a first offense, will discourage people from setting off fireworks.
"With the extreme drought conditions that we're seeing in the community, we've got a lot of very dry vegetation out there. It takes one spark from an illegal firework to start a fire there," SJFD spokesperson Erica Ray told KPIX 5.
Homeowners said the nightly displays of illegal fireworks are nerve-racking, a disaster waiting to happen.
"There was a fire scare that was very close to our house a few years ago. And we even thought we'd have to evacuate. So, it reminds me of all that," said Aditya Sarmalkar.