SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Fire Department released statistics on what they say has become known as their busiest day of the year, the Fourth of July.
On Monday, Lt. Keith Wade told ABC10 that the fire department received around 1,500 reports of illegal fireworks activity between 6 p.m. and midnight this Fourth of July -- 800 of those reports came in through the Nail'em app and 700 reports came in through the hotline.
It proved to be a busy night for fire crews despite the city launching a new ordinance that outlaws fireworks at cut-off times, in an attempt to curb unsafe and late-night fireworks. The ordinance in Sacramento demanded that fireworks end at midnight on the Fourth.
A total of 76 citations were issued on the Fourth of July to the tune of $80,000, the fire department said in a Tuesday news release. One-hundred-thirty-six total citations were issued over 10 days that totaled $200,000.
In regard to 911 service calls, officials said they received 400, which is up by three compared to last year. There were 150 total EMS calls.
Calls for fires were at 84, down by 27 from last year. Officials also said there were 11 structure and vegetation fires attributed to fireworks.
On Monday, Lt. Wade told ABC10 that Sunday's weather ended up playing a positive role. He said there could have been a lot more damage in the city if there was a different weather system present during the holiday. He credited increased humidity levels and no significant wind to likely lowering the amount of fire damage.