Fireworks calls also increasing in Cambridge and Worcester, authorities say
Boston police continue to remind people that fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts.
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Boston isn’t the only place that has seen an increase in people setting off fireworks.
Cambridge and Worcester officials both report that calls for illegal fireworks are up with Cambridge police seizing multiple fireworks, as well as cash and marijuana, all found in a backpack left behind by a large group they were called to break up.
Authorities had been called to the Port area of the city Thursday night for a “large group” that left upon police arrival.
Officers responded to a series of reports & fireworks earlier tonight in The Port. After Officers located a large group at a scene, they dispersed & an abandoned backpack was recovered. It contained 11 roman candle fireworks, 6 mortar style fireworks, a scale, marijuana & cash. pic.twitter.com/9cZKusRZnW
— Cambridge Police Department (@CambridgePolice) June 11, 2020
Illegal fireworks have become a continued concern in Boston. From June 1 to 7, city police fielded 1,445 calls for them. Last year during the same time period, the number of calls was 22.
“There’s always been illegal fireworks leading up to the Fourth of July, but this year it’s worse than usual,” Mayor Marty Walsh said in a press conference on Wednesday. “It started early, and it never seemed to stop.”
Boston police again issued a notification to the public on Thursday stating that fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts, and that people should call 911 if they hear or see them. Police have confiscated some fireworks and made some related arrests recently, including the arrest of a 19-year-old from Saugus, who allegedly threw fireworks at police and a police vehicle Monday night and early Tuesday.
In Cambridge, between May 1 and June 9, police received 114 calls for fireworks. Last year during the same time period, there were 10 calls, and in 2018, just four calls, according to a police spokesperson.
“Fireworks at 2 am, VERY close to houses,” a resident on Sidney Street wrote on Cambridge’s SeeClickFix reporting system last week. “With the unrest going on right now it’s extremely triggering.”
In response to some of these reports, the police department has responded, nothing that residents should call the department at 617-349-3300. People can also send a tip via text to Tip411.
Worcester police confirmed there’s been an uptick in fireworks calls as well, and put out some statistics about the devices. In 2018, five people nationwide were killed by fires started by fireworks and 46 people were injured — and they caused roughly 19,500 fires, police said in a news release, citing the National Fire Protection Association. That year, there were about 9,100 people brought to emergency rooms with fireworks-related injuries and over ⅓ of them were kids under 15.
“The City of Worcester is especially susceptible as a community with dense neighborhoods and many aging housing units,” Worcester Fire Chief Michael Lavoie said in the release. “Despite the Fire Prevention Division’s efforts to educate the public about the dangers of consumer fireworks, the Worcester Fire department inevitably responds to avoidable fires caused from the use of illegal fireworks every year.”
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