It was a busy final day of sales for fireworks stands in Dublin as people flocked to the tents to grab some last-minute items.
“I have Pop-Its, which are just the little ones, and then I have Game Mode which just shoots up in the air,” said Brittany Porchia who was buying fireworks in Dublin.
The East Bay town is one of only a handful of cities in the Bay Area that allows fireworks.
Those working the stand said they take safety very seriously, especially given this year’s heat. They were handing out flyers to every customer telling them exactly where they can and more importantly where they cannot set off the fireworks.
“And there’s a little fire safety card too that we hand out to them. It’s important because like I said, it’s very dry, so it’s easy to catch on fire,” said Linda Nguyen who was working one of the stands in Dublin.
Still. many remain concerned about the number of people who won’t follow those rules.
Over in Oakland, police preemptively shut down portions of the road around Lake Merritt, preparing for what is expected to be a large crowd Thursday night.
“Just chilling, hang out. Just enjoying the breeze of Lake Merritt,” said Richard Abad who was enjoying the day at Lake Merritt with his family.
One woman KPIX spoke with said she came up from San Jose to escape the heat. Her family plans to just watch the fireworks show from their rooftop, but she’s still concerned about others being reckless.
“It’s scary and I grew up in Oroville where there’s the Thomas Fire. My brother still lives up there. I’ve been trying to get ahold of the senior center where he lives and nobody answering, so I’m a little concerned. Every time it’s hot, we get hit a lot,” said the woman.
The city of Oakland says it is working with surrounding cities and the county to crack down on illegal fireworks so everyone can have a fun but safe holiday.
