The midweek Fourth of July holiday seemed to be on the quiet side, according to one Hollister fire official.
Hollister Fire Capt. Michael O’Connor, the fire marshal, said code enforcement officers and others confiscated about 30 pounds of illegal fireworks on July 4.
“There was a total of six or eight citations written,” he said. “Overall confiscation was down, but also the amount of people that were out there (to enforce) was down, too.”
O’Connor said it seemed as though residents were firing off fireworks for a shorter duration than in recent years.
“It was an hour or an hour and a half,” he said. “Sometimes the fireworks go until midnight.”
There was one fire related to illegal fireworks, at 940 Somme Ave., in Hollister. The illegal fireworks landed next to the house and caught the side of the house and weeds on fire. There were no fire-related injuries.
O’Connor said signs about fines may have helped to deter people. TNT, a manufacturer of the “safe and sane” fireworks that were sold by nonprofits and other agencies at local fireworks booths, helped to fund the signs. The signs informed residents that a citation for illegal fireworks can come with a fine of up to $5,000 and up to a year in jail.
“By 11 o’clock there was still stuff going off here and there, but it had quieted down,” O’Connor said.
