BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Bakersfield’s police and fire chiefs presented their Fourth of July reports during a Friday meeting, revealing both progress and ongoing concerns about fireworks-related incidents in the city.<\/p>\n
Kevin Albertson, Chief of the Bakersfield Fire Department, said the holiday brought serious consequences for people across the state.<\/p>\n
“This last Fourth of July, up and down the states, people were significantly injured, even killed from fireworks.”<\/p>\n
A total of 106 citations were issued by the Bakersfield Police and Fire departments combined in relation to the holiday. Compared to 2025, fire-related responses to both departments dropped 6% in 2026.<\/p>\n
Despite the decrease, residents and officials say more work remains. Bakersfield City Councilman Eric Arias said stronger policies are in the works.<\/p>\n
“We are getting serious about the policies that we can change. We’re looking at a couple different code changes that we can implement over the next couple months that are going to make a difference and hopefully deter folks from using those illegal fireworks.”<\/p>\n
Both departments and Arias agreed that stronger measures must be created to decrease fireworks-related accidents and fires.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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