Hoping to reduce the volume of illegal fireworks in town, the
Oakland Fire Department has set up collection barrels at six fire stations.
Residents can bring in unused fireworks, and Oakland police
can drop confiscated illegal fireworks in the barrels.
The Oakland Fire Department said in a statement that it is particularly
concerned about fire danger this year because the wildland fire season started
early, on May 15, due to high temperatures and dry vegetation.
Four city fire
inspectors will be in the field Friday and Saturday monitoring historic
hotspots for illegal fireworks. The fire department also plans to send extra
staff and vehicles to Lake Merritt on July 4 in anticipation of large holiday
weekend crowds.
The dropoff barrels are located at Station 1 (1603 Martin
Luther King Jr. Way); Station 3 (1445 14th St.); Station (1235 International
Blvd.); Station 5 (934 34th St.); Station 18 (5008 Bancroft Ave.); and Station
20 (1401 98th Ave.).
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