When sparks fly, firefighters worry

Ask Clark County Fire Department spokesman Scott Allison about illegal fireworks and he recalls one Fourth of July about eight years ago.

A 14-year-old boy was using illegal fireworks while his parents were at a party. One of the smoldering bottle rockets veered off course, landed on the roof and continued to smolder.

Soon, it developed into a full-blown fire.

"They lost everything," Allison said.

The consequences are rarely so severe, but the potential for tragedy is always there. Allison said the Fourth of July is the second-busiest day of the year for the department, behind only New Year's Eve.

The misfires that become incidents usually result in minor burns and brush fires, but they keep firefighters on their toes.

"Sparks and embers fly, land on trees, and a fire breaks out," said Dan Bushkin, a fireworks inspector for Clark County. "It's an absolute nightmare for us."

Bushkin and fellow fireworks inspectors are responsible for regulating about 200 fireworks booths in Clark County, which sell "safe and sane" fireworks during a one-week window June 28 to July 4.

Illegal fireworks in Clark County are classified as any fireworks that fly, explode or twirl on the ground.

Larger, more dangerous fireworks are available in Nye County and the Valley of Fire, and sometimes folks are tempted to bring them into Clark County, Allison said.

If caught with illegal fireworks -- even transporting them -- offenders can face a citation up to $500 and confiscation of the illegal property.

At a check station at Mountain Springs last year, police stopped a truck carrying 40,000 pounds of illegal fireworks purchased in Pahrump. The truck was headed to California to re-sell the haul, Allison said.

"That's a lot of wasted money they spent," he said.

Local fireworks booths will almost never risk selling illegal fireworks under the table, Bushkin said, because only nonprofit groups are licensed to sell fireworks.

For Grace McKinley, outreach director for Solid Rock Christian Church at Pecos and Pebble roads, losing the license isn't worth the risk.

"We made $7,500 (at the fireworks stand) last year," McKinley said. "That supports our outreach programs like our food pantry."

Allison said fireworks are like any other hazard, such as candles that are left burning. The only thing he can do, he said, is emphasize the department's message: Use common sense when handling fireworks.

"It's not rocket science," Allison said.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.