FIREWORKS DANGER IN STORE?

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

Fire officials warned Monday that illegal Fourth of July fireworks pose serious brush fire danger because of the dense hillside grass and undergrowth.

Fire officials will be on high alert over the long holiday weekend, and the pops, bangs and midair flashes of illegal pyrotechnics can already be heard.

``Illegal fireworks of any kind would be all that you need to spark a fire that could take off,'' warned Capt. Mark Savage, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. ``That grass crop is now dry fuel that is out there and will readily ignite at any kind of ignition.''

The region's rainy season, which officially ended Monday, dropped 16.42 inches of rain on the Los Angeles area - 1.28 inches more than normal.

But this year's long-lasting cool, overcast ``June gloom'' conditions have lifted and temperatures are rising, with parts of the San Fernando Valley expected to see highs in the high 80s and into the 90s this weekend.

``We are looking at warm and dry days, and it's always a concern when you throw in fireworks,'' said Capt. William Wick, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

Although 39 cities, including Palmdale, in Los Angeles County allow fireworks, they are outlawed in Los Angeles, Burbank, Glendale and other area towns.

Dennis Revell, a spokesman for Fullerton-based TNT Fireworks, the largest distributor of state-approved fireworks in California, said his company has seen a steady rise in the popularity of so-called ``safe and sane'' fireworks. He expects a banner Fourth of July, sparked by a three-day holiday weekend and a drop in the number of public displays.

``Safe and sane'' fireworks approved for sale in the state do not shoot into the air or move along the ground.

In Fillmore, the only city in Ventura County to sell them, sales of ``safe and sane'' fireworks are booming.

Stands selling fireworks line Highway 126, a well-traveled path to the beaches in Ventura and a quick stop for locals to get some colorful holiday pyrotechnics. Ventura County Fire Department officials remind that the only place in the county where it's legal to set off fireworks is within the Fillmore city limits.

Fillmore charities appreciate every dollar left in their town from the 25 allotted stands run by local nonprofits.

``We don't ask where people come from, but if they mention they are from out of town, we invite them to come back and fire off the fireworks here in Fillmore, where they are allowed,'' said John Schaper, a parent volunteer working the Fillmore Band and Drill Team Boosters booth near the center of town.

In response to the increased Fourth of July fire risks, the Los Angeles Fire Department is sending out 14 brush patrols to high-risk brush areas like Encino Hills, Porter Ranch, Sunland and Woodland Hills.

In high-risk areas from Chatsworth to the Hollywood Hills, about 15 percent to 20 percent of property owners are violating fire safety codes with overgrown brush and similar hazards, said Inspector Robert Kelly of the city's brush patrol.

Last July 4, there were 44 incidents of property loss caused by fire - $17,750 in damages - reported in the city. In 1981, the last year the city allowed fireworks, 500 incidents of property loss due to fire were reported, totaling $2 million in property losses, Wick said.

In contrast, the county Fire Department, which serves 52 of the county's 88 cities, including Westlake Village and Agoura Hills, has seen a rise in property damage from fires during the period from June 17 through July 16. Last year, property damage totaled $314,000 - up from $50,000 for the same period in 1999. The number of fireworks-related injuries has remained steady, about six to eight year year in the county.

Those lighting the fireworks' fuses are in the most danger, officials said.

At least three people, most often boys between 9 and 15, check into the Grossman Burn Center as a result of fireworks every Fourth of July, said Matt Young, a doctor at Sherman Oaks Hospital and Medical Center.

City and county officials encourage the public to attend city and privately sponsored firework events.

Staff Writer Carol Rock contributed to this report.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Customers buy fireworks at the Fillmore Band and Drill Team Boosters booth along Highway 126 in Fillmore.

(2 -- color) Fillmore Fire Chief Pat Askren holds an M-88, confiscated along with other illegal fireworks after it was brought in from Nevada, that he said has enough power to blow up a careless reveler's hand.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer