Los Angeles weighs $5,000 fines for illegal fireworks
The L.A. City Council is considering combined LAPD and fire enforcement after commercial-grade explosives sparked deaths, fires and millions in damage.
By Hans Laetz
Police in Los Angeles may soon crack down on illegal fireworks.
The city council there is considering combining the efforts of LAPD and fire departments and increasing fines to $5,000 for repeat offenders.
Los Angeles is worried about commercial-grade explosives that could take out an entire block or neighborhood. Three people have been killed while assembling illegal fireworks in the L.A. area in the past two years.
Just in 2025, more than 570,000 pounds of fireworks were found and confiscated across L.A. County. Illegal fireworks were blamed for starting some 87 fires and causing millions of dollars in damage last year.
But L.A. County does not yet use drones to monitor and track down fireworks and those who are using them. Instead, people who call 911 are the primary detection device. Malibu has a volunteer arson watch, but they do not have any more power than to observe and call for deputies.
The L.A. County District Attorney's Office says it will prosecute anyone who makes, sells, buys and lights the fireworks.
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