Morgan Hill Police responded to dozens of calls related to illegal fireworks, and issued five criminal citations to violators on July 4, according to authorities.
In addition, the city’s fire department and Cal Fire responded to scores of fires from June 30-July 7, but it’s too soon to say if any of these were related to the use of illegal fireworks. In all, firefighters responded to 59 reports of fires in and around Morgan Hill during that period.
“Four of them could have been fireworks related, but it’s still under investigation” as authorities complete the process of excluding other potential causes, said CalFire Battalion Chief Baraka Carter.
In fact, Carter said while he didn’t have a side-by-side comparison of incidents to the same time last year, he thinks fire activity was less during the 2023 holiday celebration period than that of 2022. That’s largely because the ground and vegetation are still retaining moisture from the unusually wet winter of 2022-23 in Morgan Hill.
Furthermore, since July 4, the local weather has included a heavy marine layer making its way into the valley from offshore, keeping humidity levels up and reducing fire risks, Carter added.
Carter added that he isn’t aware of any fireworks incidents resulting in injuries in Morgan Hill this past July 4.
Illegal fireworks kept the Morgan Hill Police Department busy on July 4, with dispatchers logging 27 calls reporting such activity, according to Police Chief Shane Palsgrove. But the number of incidents was likely more than that, as dispatchers were unable to log many of the calls because other calls took priority or the caller only heard the illegal activity and did not see it.
Palsgrove said many of the calls were concentrated in six areas in Morgan Hill: near the 200 block of Burnett Avenue; Spring and Del Monte avenues; La Alameda and Watsonville Road; Juan Hernandez and San Vicente drives; Legend Court and Eagle View Drive; and Keith Way and East Edmundson Avenue.
Of the five criminal citations issued for illegal fireworks use and possession on July 4, three were issued to suspects lighting fireworks in the area of Cosmo Avenue and Monterey Road; and two people were cited for setting off fireworks and starting a fire in the Jackson Oaks neighborhood, Palsgrove added.
These citations are for violations of state laws regulating fireworks, as opposed to the city’s municipal code which also prohibits the devices.
Under the city’s municipal code, during holiday enforcement periods, a fine for a first violation of the fireworks prohibition is $300, increasing to $600 for a second offense and $1,500 for a third violation.
MHPD ramped up its enforcement of illegal fireworks use on July 4, with extra officers patrolling for violations, especially in “higher-risk” areas such as the hillside neighborhoods, Palsgrove added. The city also deployed its Community Emergency Response Team to patrol and look for unauthorized fireworks activity to call in.
