Though the Del Norte County sheriff called the holiday pretty mild compared to previous Independence Days, his deputies are investigating an explosion that sent one man to the hospital the day after.
The explosion occurred at Point St. George at about 3:50 p.m. Sunday, Del Norte County Undersheriff Devin Perry told Redwood Voice Community News. A couple visiting the beach had been walking along the sand picking up a few spent fireworks and found what appeared to be a silver ball with a screw sticking out of it.
“The female said as soon as the male picked it up it exploded,” Perry said. “There were significant injuries to his hand. He was taken to Sutter and then they (flew) him out to a higher level of care.”
After the man was transported to the hospital, sheriff’s deputies canvassed the area with his companion. Perry said they were unable to find additional explosives nor could they find any remaining debris associated with the explosion.
Del Norte County Sheriff’s deputies and Crescent City police officers responded to calls for service throughout the community on Saturday. According to Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin, those calls included two arrests for assault, one for drugs — the suspect allegedly had 30 grams of suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl in his possession — and a domestic violence call.
Griffin said he also arrested someone on suspicion of being drunk in public at Beachfront Park during the festival Saturday.
“But, other than that, no major incidents,” he said.
Sheriff Garrett Scott said he thinks the community’s zero tolerance stance on illegal fireworks has sunk in for locals and visitors alike. The result of a fireworks explosion on South Beach two years ago that sent 14 people to the hospital, including a 3-year-old boy, Scott said the message is “if we catch ‘em it’s either a $1,000 fine or, depending on the weight of the fireworks, it can be felony arrest and jail time.”
The sheriff described South Beach on the country’s 250th birthday as “very very low key and family oriented.”
Still, DNSO deputies did cite someone for possessing illegal fireworks on Saturday. Perry said the agency is still processing the case and, though fireworks were confiscated, he wasn’t sure of the amount yet.
Del Norte County Dispatch also received calls from residents reporting people shooting off bottle rockets and other illegal fireworks in their neighborhood Saturday, Scott said.
Crescent City Fire & Rescue’s interim fire chief, Bill Gillespie, also called South Beach fairly quiet. But firefighters did douse two trash bin fires at the Crescent City Harbor. Gillespie says the culprit was likely spent safe and sane fireworks that hadn’t had time to cool down before being thrown away.
Safe and sane fireworks also likely caused a small grass fire at 3rd and F streets after the commercial fireworks display Saturday night, Gillespie said. There were also campfires that got out of control on the beach near Battery Point Lighthouse, he said.
“It had gotten super windy and so we ended up with a couple of different incidents where we were out putting out logs and driftwood where fires had either spread into them or fires that were left,” he said.
According to Gillespie, who was Crescent City Fire and Rescue’s chief for about four years before he retired in 2022, the agency ensures there are enough engines and staff to cover the community during the Fourth of July. CalFIRE brought an engine to assist in the evening, he said, and Redwood National Park had federal crews watching over the Enderts Beach area.
Gillespie said the national park crews had a similar experience with campfires that spread to nearby brush due to the windy conditions. He urged folks to keep their fires away from vegetation and driftwood and he also said they should have a bucket of water handy for those safe and sane fireworks.
“Put them in a bucket of water and leave them outside and deal with them the next morning,” Gillespie said, adding that safe and sane fireworks are often thrown in a plastic trashcan while they’re still hot. “We have responded before in years past to reports of structure fires because it spread from the trashcan and was going up the walls of the house. Or heaven forbid, the trash can goes back into the garage after you’re done and now it’s smoldering in the garage.”
