I decided to get these and let er rip, Joe Okimura of Dublin said.
Okimura is having his family over for the holiday weekend. After dinner, that’s when the show will start. Get the kids together, go to the park and set it off, he said.
Okimura knows better than to set off fireworks in his neighborhood. I live in a multi-dwelling area, he said. They’ve got signs posted all over the place.
Okimura is going to one of four designated parks in Dublin where he can safely set off fireworks.
Given the dry conditions outside and the worsening drought, Okimura said this might be the last fireworks show he can put on for his kids.
He also said investigators have been searching social media looking for illegal dealers, then send in undercover agents. We made contact with them, tell them we want to purchase fireworks, meet them at a location and make the arrests and seize the fireworks, he explained.
Fireworks have already sparked several fires throughout the county including one that set an Antioch apartment complex on fire destroying the homes of multiple families. My fear is my house is going to be lit on fire, said Antioch resident Edward Perez.
Perez hears and sees fireworks going off in his neighborhood all the time. At a park just up the street from his Antioch home, NBC Bay Area found plenty of proof of that. He’s relieved fire investigators are trying to stop it.
With that in mind, Con Fire is bracing for more red flag conditions early in May, something not even veteran firefighters have seen. This is a first for me. In talking to people in our organization, this is usually when we’re just starting to put the notices out to start abatement, said Contra Costa County Fire District Fire Marshall Chris Bachman.
Contra Costa County residents are paying close attention to the conditions as well. We’re very concerned, said Amir Bahman, and also where we’re at, with the narrow roads, it’s kind of hard to, you know, maneuver around.”