Officials say illegal fireworks remain a concern across the region, even though citation numbers reported by several agencies appear relatively low.
"We see increased transports to hospitals for firework injuries, and we do see fires, along with those illegal fireworks as well," said Samuel Menchaca, of the San Francisco Fire Department.
Menchaca also cautioned that even legal fireworks can pose risks.
"Even sparklers, as simple they may seem, you may see them sometimes at restaurants or businesses where they have those sparklers, you can still get serious burns and injuries from those," he said. "Your average sparkler burns at 1,500 degrees. That's enough to sear or cause nerve damage or any type of other injury."
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ABC7 reached out to 14 Bay Area law enforcement agencies to see how many illegal fireworks citations they issued on the Fourth of July in 2024 and 2025.
Ten agencies did not respond, while four provided data. Here are their responses:
- The Marin County Sheriff's Office issued no citations.
- Fremont Police issued six citations in 2024 and none in 2025.
- Richmond Police issued no citations in 2024 and 13 in 2025.
- San Mateo Police issued five citations in 2024 and one in 2025.
Officials said the relatively low citation numbers do not mean illegal fireworks enforcement is a low priority. Instead, they point to the difficulty of catching people in the act.
"A lot of the time it's simply one person walking outside of their home or apartment and lighting off a single firework," said San Mateo Police Officer Andrew Peek. "The complaint will be generated after the fact, and we'll get there as soon as we can."
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Peek said the San Mateo Police Department uses its drone program to identify fireworks activity and provide information to first responders.
"But a lot of times, it's already over, and they're gone," Peek said. "So, we really ask the community's patience (this weekend) and just know that we're out there in big numbers, trying to do our very best to deter illegal firework activity."
To help prevent fireworks-related incidents, San Mateo plans to close five city parks at 6 p.m. on the Fourth of July: Parkside Aquatic Park, Ryder Park, Seal Point Park, Shoreview Park and Washington Park.
"With the wind element and the trees and everything like that, Seal Point Park is very dry," Peek said. "And if fireworks were to get out of control, it could be a massive fire. So that is one of the reasons we're taking that effort."
Fines for illegal fireworks citations range from about $100 to about $1,500, depending on the city or county. Officials are reminding residents that even safe-and-sane fireworks may be prohibited in some jurisdictions and encouraging people to verify local regulations before using any fireworks.