SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the Fourth of July approaches, the City of Sacramento is ramping up efforts to curb illegal fireworks, with city leaders proposing significantly higher fines and the use of drones to catch violators in the act.
On Independence Day last year, illegal fireworks overwhelmed emergency services. Sacramento firefighters responded to 435 emergency calls, 188 of them for fires according to city officials. Overall, 911 calls across Sacramento County rose by 45% compared to the previous year.
Councilmember Lisa Kaplan described the widespread activity as “a firework show in every individual neighborhood of illegal fireworks.” She noted that incidents included fires on school property…