<\/p>\n
Councilmember Eric Guerra speaks during a fireworks safety news conference Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Fire Station 20 in Old North Sacramento. City officials urged residents to use only state-approved \u201cSafe and Sane\u201d fireworks and warned of increased enforcement ahead of the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
Velvet Wu<\/p>\n
vwu@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Sacramento will deploy six drones and additional enforcement teams this Fourth of July as officials continue their crackdown on illegal fireworks, city leaders announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur message today is simple,\u201d said Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department. \u201cCelebrate responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Council Members Eric Guerra, Karina Talamantes and Roger Dickinson joined Sacramento Fire Chief Chris Costamagna, firefighters and community advocates at Fire Station 20 in Old North Sacramento to warn residents about the dangers of illegal fireworks and announce expanded enforcement efforts.<\/p>\n
The week of the Fourth of July is one of the busiest times of the year for first responders in Sacramento, Sylvia said. In 2025, the Sacramento area dispatch center reported 168 confirmed fires and 112 fire-related calls<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are 10 times more fires on the Fourth of July than on any other day,\u201d Talamantes said. Last year, Sacramento County issued more than $3 million in fines for illegal fireworks and deployed two drones to monitor illegal fireworks activity, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year, we will have six drones, two per night, for several nights during the week.\u201d<\/p>\n Firefighters displayed legal and illegal fireworks alongside one of the drones that will be used for enforcement.<\/p>\n Expanded enforcement in the city, county<\/p>\n In addition to the drones, a fireworks enforcement task force will patrol the city throughout the week leading up to and including the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will be out in force this year to protect our neighborhoods, to protect all of our communities,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cNo one will get away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Penalties for illegal fireworks will be more severe this year than in previous years.<\/p>\n In late March, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved changes to the county\u2019s fireworks ordinance<\/a> that increased penalties for violations.<\/p>\n Before the amendment, violators faced fines of $1,000 for a first violation, $2,500 for a second violation, $5,000 for additional violations within one year and $10,000 for violations near schools, parks and the American River Parkway.<\/p>\n Under the new ordinance, which went into effect May 7, fines are assessed for each individual illegal firework instead of each incident.<\/p>\n In Sacramento, fireworks that explode or fly into the air are illegal, City Fire Marshal Jason Lee said. Legal \u201cSafe and Sane\u201d fireworks display the state fire marshal\u2019s seal on their packaging, he said.<\/p>\n Guerra, who is running for a county supervisor\u2019s seat in November<\/a>, said he began pushing for tougher illegal fireworks laws three fire chiefs ago.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, people were telling me, \u2018Eric, you\u2019re playing with fire.\u2019 You know, because people love using fireworks,\u201d he recalled. Illegal fireworks were causing so much damage that explosions could be heard from April to July, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe still have a problem, but we have made a significant dent in it,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cWe\u2019ve also increased not only going after people using them, but people selling them.\u201d<\/p>\n Sacramento County issued more than twice as many penalties for illegal fireworks<\/a> in 2025 as in 2024 by working with residents who reported violations and provided evidence, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease download the Sacramento Fire Department app<\/a>,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou can upload pictures and videos that will help our enforcement teams build evidence against individuals who use illegal fireworks.\u201d<\/p>\n Effects on veterans, pets<\/p>\n Speakers also highlighted how fireworks affect veterans, people with disabilities and pets.<\/p>\n \u201cThink about the veterans that you are impacting. Think about the four-legged friends that you are impacting. Think about the people with special needs that you are impacting. Think about those that have trauma associated with the sound,\u201d Talamantes said.<\/p>\n Dawn Foster, a spokesperson for the Sacramento SPCA, brought Rooster, a herding mix, to the conference.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery year, all local animal shelters get flooded with lost and injured pets that are panicked when they hear those loud things,\u201d Foster said. \u201cEven pets that never escaped your yard before are susceptible to reacting to those loud noises.\u201d<\/p>\n She urged pet owners to microchip their animals and keep the information, such as phone numbers and addresses, current. If an animal goes missing, Foster encouraged owners to contact local animal shelters first and be aware of scammers who demand money in exchange for information about lost pets.<\/p>\n \u201cTo our pets, fireworks are not a celebration \u2014 they are an emergency,\u201d Foster said.<\/p>\n Despite emphasizing holiday safety, speakers also noted the significance of this year\u2019s Independence Day.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year is particularly special \u2014 the 250th anniversary of the Fourth of July, the Declaration of Independence,\u201d Dickinson acknowledged. \u201cBut independence also means responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n Sacramento Councilmember Eric Guerra gestures toward a display of illegal fireworks during a fireworks safety news conference Tuesday, June 23, 2026, at Fire Station 20 in Old North Sacramento. Officials urged residents to use only state-approved \u201cSafe and Sane\u201d fireworks, which display the California State Fire Marshal\u2019s seal on their packaging. Velvet Wu vwu@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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