Sacramento fire officials turned to drones this Fourth of July to crack down on illegal fireworks, and the effort led to one home being hit with a $100,000 citation. The aggressive enforcement marked a new approach to a problem that lights up the city's skies every summer.
According to fire officials, the fines for illegal fireworks start at $1,000 and go up from there depending on the severity of the violation. In one case in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood, a single home was hit with a $100,000 citation.
This year marked the first time the Sacramento Fire Department used its own drones and certified operators to enforce illegal fireworks violations. On the Fourth of July, crews sent drones up over the city to track down the sources of the blasts.
The technology allowed officials to pinpoint offenders in real time. As illegal fireworks filled the night sky, a drone could detect the source through its cameras and help officials identify the exact address the fireworks came from.
The scale of the enforcement was significant. Fire officials say they issued 70 total citations on the Fourth of July alone, adding up to about $300,000 in fines across the city.
Officials say the drone program represents a step up in how the city responds to illegal fireworks. They note the technology has only gotten better as the years have gone on, allowing them to enforce the rules more precisely than they could before.