Fire damaged two structures in the Hollister area late Monday as the result of fireworks, while there were no reported injuries in those incidents, according to the fire chief.
One fire reported at 11:38 p.m. damaged the roof of a four-unit apartment complex in the 1600 block of Clearview Drive, making the home uninhabitable and leaving the tenant staying in a hotel. The other fire, at a home in the 1600 block of Quail Run behind the high school and reported minutes after the first structure fire, was the result of so-called “safe and sane” fireworks, Fire Chief Bob Martin Del Camp told the Free Lance. That fire damaged the attic, garage and bedrooms, according to authorities.
The chief also told the newspaper he planned to pursue a ban on all fireworks locally in the next year. That would include the safe-and-sane variety sold by local nonprofits as fundraisers.
As for the Clearview Drive blaze, illegal fireworks shot off nearby are the suspected culprit. Marie LoBue Peterson from Dual Pride Properties, owner of the Clearview Drive building, said she experienced a landlord’s worst nightmare with a call around midnight about the fire.
“I was really worried because I didn’t know if any of the tenants were hurt,” she said.
As it turned out, there were no injures. But a tenant did end up homeless from the situation.
Lobue Peterson said the tenant didn’t immediately have a place to go.
“I can only put him up in a hotel,” she said.
The sky over the Hollister area, like other California towns, is known to light up on the night of July 4 with a slew of illegal fireworks into the early morning the following day. The volume of this year’s illegal fireworks seemed as large as any recent year and lasted beyond midnight throughout the city.
The mass of illegal fireworks and two fires came after last year’s highly publicized incident after which police alleged that Hollister resident Shawn G. Bourdet set off a large mortar device on the street at a block party on Brigantino Drive. Once lit, police reported the launcher fell over and injured at least five people. Injuries included a broken leg and varying degrees of burns, according to police. All of the victims were expected to recover.
Police Chief David Westrick told the Free Lance he has ideas to help stop the illegal activity and was researching more of them. With July 4 scheduled during the week for a few years, Westrick said he could pull officers into fireworks enforcement. As things stand, the fire department’s marshal runs the enforcement. He said police are trained to patrol more so than fire authorities.
“I also think there has to be a better way for people to call in tips that are contemporaneous with the incident,” he said.
Both he and Mayor Ignacio Velazquez mentioned to the newspaper how city officials are looking into possibly using different models of mobile apps that would allow locals to pinpoint violators for subsequent enforcement. Velazquez said leaders had to look into legal ramifications.
Velazquez also said to expect charges against the violators who caused the fires.
“They’re going to get prosecuted to the fullest extent,” the mayor said.
Overall, local authorities responded to 47 reports of illegal fireworks and received 110 notifications through the MyPD app. They seized about 10 pounds of illegal fireworks between July 1 and July 4, according to a statement from the fire department, which oversees enforcement. The fines for using illegal fireworks range from $1,000 to $2,000, according to officials.
Fire officials also revealed that property damage was estimated at $500,000 for the incidents and that the investigations are continuing.
Fortunately for residents of the two structures, no one was injured. One of the Clearview Drive building’s residents, Armando Rivera, talked to the Free Lance on Tuesday and said he wasn’t home when the blaze started but arrived shortly after the fire was reported. He was thankful he hadn’t been there when it started.
Other neighbors that live near the incident said there were multiple groups lighting off fireworks in the neighborhood.
Look back for more on this story. Residents with information on the incidents can call the fire department at (831) 636-4325 or report it anonymously on WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.
