Illegal fireworks are always a problem around the Bay Area on Fourth of July and on Wednesday, Santa Clara County firefighters and doctors once again hoped to convince people to make better choices.
One of the big concerns is fire danger.
“A lot of our grass crop is coming into the time of year where it begins to burn,” said Brian Glass, assistant fire chief for the Santa Clara County Fire Department.
Dr. Clifford Sheckter, the director of the Regional Burn Center at Valley Medical Center explained the other big risk — safety.
He said they average one burn victim a day. But around July 4, it surges to about five people a day.
“Particularly commercial grade fireworks, If those go off in your hand you are losing fingers if not your whole hand. If this goes off by your face, you could end up blind,” said Sheckter.
Fireworks are banned in most of the Bay Area. The so-called “safe and sane” fireworks are available in a handful of cities, including Gilroy in the South Bay.
But in that city – people caught using illegal fireworks could be hit by a fine starting at $1,000.
Dr. Sheckter also warns that fireworks aren’t the only holiday danger he sees around the holiday.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
“If you get wasted and fall into a bonfire, you’re either going to die or you’re going to end up severely burned and on my burn unit for the next six months,” he said. “So please be so, so safe.”
He added that people shouldn’t let kids roam around fires and to be alert any time anyone is near an open flame.
A video shows the moments after Duncan Reno’s daughter’s engagement dinner in San Jose Friday. They were hanging out and added oil to a fire feature, the same way they had done so at least twice before. Only this time, it exploded.
Reno caught on fire and was badly burned.
“Everybody should just take a step back, take an inventory of what they have and really see how all that’s working properly,” said Reno. “Because it was instant and our lives changed. And we were doing nothing different.”
The main message Wednesday was to be cautious around barbecues and fires, and to leave the fireworks to the professionals at established events.
