More than 120,000 pounds of fireworks were seized from an illegal operation in the South Bay area of Los Angeles in one of the biggest single fireworks busts in state history, authorities said.
The fireworks cache was so massive that the Cal Fire bomb unit was called in to assist local police.
Several people were arrested Saturday during an early morning raid, according to a joint statement by the Gardena Police Department and the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Arson and Bomb Unit. The exact location was not disclosed.
Some of the fireworks measured up to 8 inches in diameter — roughly the same as a bowling ball. More than 2,000 illegal destructive devices and 10 pounds of bulk homemade explosives were also confiscated.
No other information about the seizure was made available, given the pending criminal investigation. Anyone who has information about the case is asked to contact Cal Fire bomb unit at arsonbomb@fire.ca.gov.
Last year, the Los Angeles Police Department seized 38,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a South Los Angeles warehouse.
That raid came two years after the LAPD injured 17 people and damaged 35 properties while trying to detonate a stash of fireworks in a South L.A. neighborhood, displacing dozens of residents.
With the Fourth of July approaching, Cal Fire is reminding the public that it is illegal to sell, transport or use fireworks that don’t carry the “Safe and Sane” seal. Fireworks also can’t be set off in communities that prohibit them. Depending on the offense, violators of fireworks laws could face up to a year in jail and fines of up to $50,000 if convicted.