Despite many fireworks shows being canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, illegal fireworks lit up the skies of Southern California on the Fourth of July.
According to NBC Los Angeles, fire departments saw a sharp increase in the number of calls for service on the Fourth of July. It was the second-busiest day ever in calls for service from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, according to Dispatch Supervisor Imy McBride.
Los Angeles City firefighters responded to 1,770 calls for service from 3:00 a.m. July 4 to 3:00 a.m. Sunday, spokesman Nicholas Prange said. The department averaged 1,368 calls per day during the same period in 2019, he said.