All across the region, fireworks lit up the skies for Fourth of July in near constant bursts of color Saturday night.
The fireworks left a blanket of smoke over cities as firefighters spent the night rushing to put out scattered blazes.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said its crews responded to 29 structure fires, 12 brush fires, 17 grass fires, 65 tree fires and 116 rubbish fires just as of 10 p.m. Saturday.
“The numbers speak for themselves. Fireworks are not toys,” LAFD said, reminding residents that fireworks are illegal.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it was inundated with 911 calls, and urged residents not call the emergency line for illegal fireworks unless there’s a fire or injury.
Los Angeles County had banned large firework displays in an effort to stop crowding amid a surge of coronavirus cases. Many of the planned displays and parades were streamed online as residents marked a very different Independence Day.
Mike Case reports from Sky5 for the KTLA 5 News at 10 on July 4, 2020.
