Fort Worth Officials Confiscate Fireworks During July Fourth Festivities

This year, WFAA reports that Fort Worth officials weren’t playing around when it came to the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal within city limits, and the zero-tolerance policy resulted in hundreds of pounds of confiscated products.

Police and the Fort Worth Fire Department received a staggering 1,560 calls about the use of illegal fireworks—about 30 percent more calls than last year. When responding to the complaints, they gathered up the fireworks, and they gave out tickets with fines of up to $4,000. This year, they only doled out 48 tickets for those who were caught red-handed shooting fireworks into the sky.

“They’re taking chances on burning people’s houses down,” concerned citizen Eric Sheppard told the news. Last year, he “filled three trash bags July 5th with debris left behind on his Fort Worth street.”

In another incident just outside of Dallas this year, CBS DFW reports that a man lost an eye, and may end up losing all of his vision, due to a fireworks explosion. According to family, he wasn’t even near the unopened box of “Bayou Boogie” fireworks when it exploded and caused him to fall backward, eyes covered in blood. The manufacturer hasn’t responded to inquiries about the product yet.