More than 120,000 pounds of fireworks were seized during an illegal operation in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, in one of the largest fireworks explosions in American history. State, authorities said.
The cache of fireworks was so huge that Cal Fire’s bomb unit was called in to assist local police.
Several people were arrested Saturday during an early morning raid, according to a joint statement from the Gardena Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office of Arson and Bomb Unit. The exact location has not been disclosed.
Some fireworks measured up to 8 inches in diameter, about the same diameter as a bowling ball. More than 2,000 illegal destructive devices and 10 pounds of bulk homemade explosives were also confiscated.
No further information on the seizure was released, given the ongoing criminal investigation. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Cal Fire Bomb Unit at arsonbomb@fire.ca.gov.
Last year, Los Angeles police seized 38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a warehouse in South Los Angeles.
The raid came two years after the LAPD injured 17 people and damaged 35 properties while attempting to set off fireworks in a South Los Angeles neighborhood, displacing dozens of residents.
As the Fourth of July approaches, Cal Fire is reminding the public that it is illegal to sell, transport or use fireworks that do not bear the “Safe and Sane” seal. Fireworks also cannot be set off in communities that ban them. Depending on the offense committed, violators of fireworks laws could face up to a year in prison and fines of up to $50,000 if convicted.
California Daily Newspapers
