Firefighters blame illegal fireworks for house fire

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Firefighters believe illegal fireworks could be to blame for a fire that damaged a home's roof in Central Fresno. That fire broke out around 11 a.m. Tuesday on Fountain Way near Palm. Firefighters put it out quickly, before the home suffered major damage.

Shortly after they arrived on scene, firefighters found fireworks on the roof. Neighbors weren't surprised. "There were some neighborhood kids that were launching bottle rockets two weeks ago. The police were out here. They're aware of what's going on," said neighbor Steve Alvidrez.

Firefighters say a man inside the home smelled smoke, but when he went outside to investigate, he didnt see anything. A few minutes later the man saw flames and called a neighbor to help him put it out. That neighbor called 9-1-1 and firefighters did the rest. "It stayed above the eave. It didn't go inside the attic so we're pretty fortunate because this is a shake roof. And with the heat, this could have spread quickly and become bad for the homeowner," said Kris Townsend with the Fresno Fire Department.

The fire comes as firework stands start popping up across the city. But it's the illegal fireworks that cause the biggest concern for firefighters. The fines for having them are steep. "It ranges from a municipal code violation of $1,250 -- that goes for possession or use of illegal fireworks. I should add that taking a safe and sane firework and modifying it, that's also a violation." said Deputy Fire Marshal Don MacAlpine.

If those actually cause a house fire, you could even face a felony

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fire, fresno central, fresno, fresno county, local, amanda perez

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