COSTS OF FIGHTING FIRE SOUGHT FROM CITY OF FILLMORE.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. The Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. wants to bill the city for up to $200,000 in costs to fight a 400-acre Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. weekend wildfire ignited by fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to purchased in the city. Two teen-agers accidentally started the July 6 Harmon Canyon Fire using so-called ``safe and sane'' fireworks purchased along Fillmore's annual July 4th pyrotechnic row on Highway 126. County Fire Chief James Sewell James Sewell may refer to:
``People who sell fireworks turn their backs on fire safety,'' Sewell said. ``We've been chatting with the county counsel about some type of litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. . It may take a month or so.'' Fillmore, the only Ventura County city that sells fireworks, contends the sales are legal and Councilwoman Linda Brewster predicted the city would fight any attempt to force payment for suppression costs. ``People are responsible for their own actions. You can't go after the company that sells lighters or matches (used to start fires),'' said Brewster. ``We're selling a legal product. If they don't like it, let them go to the state fire marshal. Don't come to us,'' the councilwoman added. More than 80 California cities sell fireworks with permits obtained from the State Fire Marshal's Office, which endorses certain safe and sane pyrotechnics pyrotechnics (pī'rōtĕk`nĭks, pī'rə–), technology of making and using fireworks. Gunpowder was used in fireworks by the Chinese as early as the 9th cent. and sets regulations for their sale. In Fillmore, youth groups and civic clubs such as Kiwanis and Lions, as well as St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, are among 25 groups that benefit from Fillmore fireworks sales, usually earning up to $100,000. It would be the first time Ventura County has tried to recoup firefighting costs from a city selling fireworks, and it may be the first time in California. ``I haven't heard of it before,'' said Joe Konefal, supervising arson and bomb investigator for the State Fire Marshal's Office in Sacramento. |
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