Fireworks linked to six fires, one citation in Sonoma County over Fourth of July holiday weekend

Illegal fireworks sparked at least six fires and drew hundreds of complaints across Sonoma County over the Fourth of July weekend, officials said Monday. One person was cited for discharging banned fireworks, and investigators believe aerial fireworks caused two fires in Petaluma that damaged a fence and a property near train tracks. No injuries were reported, and investigations are ongoing.

Getting your Trinity Audio //trinityaudio.ai player ready...Illegal fireworks were linked to at least six fires and dozens of complaints across Sonoma County over Independence Day weekend, officials said Monday, and one person was cited for discharging banned fireworks. Two vegetation fires were reported in Santa Rosa, along with one each in Petaluma and Rohnert Park, according to dispatchers for those agencies. Petaluma police said in a separate news release the department also is investigating fire damage to another property. RELATED: Photos: Illegal fireworks spotted in Bay Area, start fires The first of the two Petaluma fires occurred about 10:40 p.m. Saturday near Hopper and Lakeville streets where firefighters discovered flames on both sides of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit tracks, police said. The second one followed about 2 a.m. Sunday near Hidden Valley Drive and Cross Creek Street, where a home fence caught fire. In both cases, investigators said aerial fireworks were believed to be responsible for the fires. Flames were extinguished before the fires could spread, and neither incident resulted in arrests, police said. In Santa Rosa, firefighters responded to report of a grass fire about 1 p.m. Saturday in the area of Kawana Terrace and Franz Kafka Avenue. The 50-by-50 foot fire was quickly put out and no injuries were reported, officials said. Later that day, firefighters responded to another grass fire near Flapjack Way and Burgess Drive. A 30-by-30 foot patch of dry seasonal grass caught fire east of Flapjack and Burgess about 9:40 p.m. Investigations into the fires are ongoing, officials said. No injuries were reported. Fireworks are illegal throughout Sonoma County, except in Cloverdale, where safe and sane fireworks, or those that don’t leave the ground, are allowed. Nonetheless, law enforcement agencies said Monday they received a large number of complaints about fireworks use over the three-day holiday weekend. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported 62 calls early Saturday into Sunday. Calls came in from around the county and there was no single “hotspot,” Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Emily Fuller said. In Santa Rosa, dispatchers received 757 calls on July 4 and 603 on July 5. Of those total calls, 428 came in between 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 a.m. Sunday, when Independence Day celebrations were likely at their peak. Police Sgt. Patricia Seffens said a 25-year-old Windsor man was cited for illegally discharging fireworks near Earle and A streets and a number of fireworks were confiscated. Staffing had been upped Friday and Saturday nights in response to concerns about fireworks and parties, she said. Fire Departments across Napa County did not respond to any incidents over the weekend, officials reported.