Nearly 80,000 Pounds Of Illegal Fireworks Smuggled Along California, Nevada Border Seized By CalFire
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Nearly 80,000 pounds of illegal fireworks have been seized by Cal Fire's Office of the State Fire Marshal, they announced Thursday.
The fireworks were seized as part of targeted enforcement operation along the California and Nevada border between May and June. From 932 traffic stops for various violations, authorities seized 79,411 pounds of fireworks, issued 215 citations, and arrested three people.
"The illegal fireworks our peace officers have seized puts a dent into the potential devastating injuries, fires, and damage to property that these dangerous devices pose," Chief Mike Richwine, California's state fire marshal, said in a statement.
The announcement of the seizure comes less than a day after a cache of illegal fireworks exploded in South Los Angeles, injuring 17 people, including nine LAPD officers and an ATF agent. The LAPD had seized 5,000 pounds of fireworks and placed them in an armored truck to be detonated safely, but the detonation instead ended in a massive explosion.