No major fireworks incidents reported in Merced. But not everything was OK, vet says

Bruce Fultz remembers sleeping topside on a 180-foot wooden counter-measures boat off the coast of Kuwait in 1991 dealing with the distressing booms and flashes of bombs and bright forests alight from wildfire.

The 71-year-old U.S. Navy veteran said he requested a sign this year signaling his neighbors to be considerate when thinking about launching fireworks near his home during the July 4 week.

The illegal fireworks in his neighborhood off G Street and El Portal Drive Wednesday night seemed to be worse than previous years, recalling those anxious and stressful feelings from his time in the Gulf War.

"These were not just sparklers, these were actually rockets that ascended to more than treetop height, then burst with a boom and glorious display," Fultz said, noting that it started getting worse at about 9:30 p.m. "But times when I see those sudden flashes and booms, they leap forward."

Fultz said he called 911 to report the illegal fireworks, but the rockets kept booming for at least two more hours.

Merced city leaders have been cracking down on illegal fireworks leading up to Independence Day with a "zero tolerance" campaign.

But that didn't stop everyone from illegally lighting rockets in the city Wednesday.

Lt. Jay Struble said Merced city police received 121 reports of illegal fireworks, nearly all came between 9 p.m. and midnight. Police issued seven citations for illegal firework possession or use. Struble said there were no major injuries or major fires reported in the city of Merced.

Calfire officials said the zero tolerance campaign seemed to have made a difference in the unincorporated areas. Battalion Chief Justin Wight said there were no major fires in the Atwater area or neighboring nearby communities. Two smaller fires were reported in Livingston, but there were no known major injuries.

The danger of explosive balls of fire heading a wrong way, or a fireworks cannon tipping toward a house causes safety concerns.

But fireworks also can cause harm to veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and other ailments, according to Marines: Central California Veterans, a local veterans group that organized a sign campaign with a message stating "Combat Veteran Lives Here. Please be courteous with fireworks."

"The last few years, Merced has looked like a battle zone with the sky lit up with skyrockets and the air filled with explosions," City of Merced Councilmember Kevin Blake states in a June news release.

Last week, a 22-year-old Turlock resident Christopher Hamby was arrested after he sold illegal fireworks to the department's Disruptive Area Response Team, officials said.

Earlier in June, the city announced four people were arrested for illegal fireworks sales, and police seized more than 100 fireworks and more than $600 in cash.

The Los Banos Police Department also ramped up efforts to curb Illegal fireworks, according to a news release.

But the 212 illegal fireworks calls were just as much, if not more, than the 200-plus calls fielded by dispatchers in 2016, according to police department data.

The enforcement resulted in 11 citations of unlawful possession and discharge of dangerous fireworks totaling more than $12,500 in fines, the Los Banos release states.

"I kind of support the public display of fireworks, but with professionals," Fultz said. "Random people are setting off fireworks, and it isn't something that seem very safe to me."