Fireworks sparked a grass near a water park full of folks celebrating the 4th of July Wednesday night.
The blaze broke out around eight o'clock. It was across from The Island Waterpark in Northwest Fresno.
The fire is exactly why fire fighters and police were out to make sure people were using fireworks safely and legally.
“The biggest problem we have with illegal fireworks especially aerial devices is that once they leave the ground the people who lit them off initially don't have any control over them,” said Pete Martinez, a fire investigator with the Fresno Fire Department.
The fire burned ten to fifteen acres of grass.
And it sent a huge plume of smoke into the air that could be seen for miles.
It made the visitors to the water park nervous.
“They were surprised at how big it got,” said Justin Okonkwo who was at the water park with his friends.
Extra fire fighters were working because it's the fourth...
Teams were also out looking for people who set off illegal fireworks.
Fire investigators handed out tickets to those caught with illegal fireworks.
The price for breaking the law: $1,250.
That’s a thousand dollars in fines and $250 to the state to destroy the fireworks.
“Hopefully we touch different neighborhoods that the next year they'll remember that we were in that neighborhood and hopefully it quiets it down for a while,” said Deputy Chief Michael Despain, with the Fresno Fire Department.
The Fresno Fire Department responded to 88 fires on the Fourth of July, and at least 30 of those were started by fireworks.
