Neighbors ruined New Years!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a great evening.
We were having a great evening last night despite our dumb neighbors popping fireworks in their backyard. I was just about to climb in bed when I saw a bright orange glow. Sure enough the idiots had set the field behind our houses on fire.
They were standing on a chair in their backyard using the water hose to keep the fire from burning their fence, but didn't bother to tell any of us.
I got my hose out and saved my fence and my other neighbors (they weren't home) but I had to stand there and watch it burn down others fences and trees.
My friend ran up the street banging on doors and got as many people in their yards as possible. We had 20 mph winds so it was spreading really fast. It took a little more than half an hour for the fire department to show up.
In the end no houses were burned but 3 or 4 houses lost their fences and several trees and shrubs.
We have burn bans in place, the city has safe zones all over town. It really irks me that some people just don't use common sense.
Ok, that's my rant for today. The lesson is if you are going to pop fireworks, please do it safely and in a safe zone, where you won't jeopardize the safety of others.

(My M-I-L managed to get pics of the fire in progress - I'll try to post them later)

I'm so sorry for you. That fact that these people didn't let their neighbors know is a crime.

Sorry - did you call the cops? Let them know and the ones who set them off will have to pay for all that damage... would not fix things but they might not do it again.

This message was edited Jan 1, 2008 12:15 PM

We live in the county and have no fireworks ban. Neighbors down the street start a couple of nights before, and continue thru the week of, the New Year (4th of July also). Last night they shot them off from 11PM thru midnight....then every half hour till 4:30AM. Some were packets of firecrackers, but most were the huge starbursts in the sky. Lovely, if not exploding over your roof. It was so windy last night, most sane people were inside! We'll be picking bottle rockets out of the yard when it warms up....Sorry about your fence, think how terrible it would have been if you'd have been out for the evening. I'm sure your other neighbors are grateful....

We have idiot neighbors too who set them off on the 4th of July - straight over our house. We DID call the cops and they were busted red-handed. Our area is semi-rural and these people think they can do whatever they want. Needless to say we did not see any fireworks from them over New Year's holiday. Fortunately their house is fairly far removed from ours and we have a fence between so there is little to no contact. All of the other neighbors are great.

Out where we live, it's like we live in Iraq every time this happens. Pop-pop-boom-boom-fizz-kaboom! No fires that I know of this time, but the jerks did their level best! Tonight...I know it'll start again. What they're celebrating must be their desire to lose their home and make sure the neighbors are homeless also...if we survive. Maybe they'll freeze their butts off and call it a night early, since it's gonna be mighty cold.

I am so sorry, I just don't understand the fascination some people have with it, but I see it along roadways, big buildings dedicated only to the sale of fireworks, so it must be a big business.
I hope those people get their just punishment.

I think the story below is very poignant. To stop irresponsible accidents, promoting those "safe zones" will never work. It never has worked in all these years, never will. Irresponsible parents continue to teach children they can break the law and show their kids that laws can be broken easily by taking them out of town to the fireworks stands and then returning to the city. Law enforcement, stretched to their limits by the usual holiday crimes and accidents, can't police the stands or the neighborhoods properly. On the other hand, a complete ban of fireworks possession or sale in Bexar Co. might work, the only exception being approved public displays. The COUNTY is at fault. Shut them down in Bexar Co. and I'll bet that the surrounding counties will follow suit. Children lose fingers and eyes. Families lose homes, sometimes their lives. Pets, wild animals and livestock also die a horrible death in these fires.
http://www.ksat.com/news/14958211/detail.html?rss=ant&psp=news

Let us know if they pay for the fences and if there are any other consequences.

Linda, I completely agree about banning the sale of fireworks all together. There was a woman decapitated a few blocks from my house by a fire truck. She was crossing the street in a wheel chair and went behind the truck as it was backing up. The driver didn't even know he was dragging her chair until he got a mile down the road and saw the sparks coming from the back. They were responding to another fireworks fire. I wonder if the people who started that one have any idea that they cost that woman her life.
I remember as a kid that I loved fireworks, but as an adult I have the common sense to realize that the huge bone dry field behind the house looks like perfect kindling so it's probably not a good spot to pop them.

I know the city is really gung ho on issuing citations. It's a $1000 fine just for poppping the fireworks. I don't know what the consequences are for actually causing the wild fire and property damage. Hopefully, there will be some compensation for the people who lost their fences. I'll let you guys know.

It seems a crazy thing to do, but all the counties in Austin's TV viewing area have burn bans, but none ban fire works. It was surprisingly quiet around here. Probably due to the cold weather.

No burn ban in Travis County.....just all the surrounding counties....

It was added this evening according to KVUE.

I stand corrected! Was on DG when news was on, I guess...

edited to add: Pete Baldwin,the county's Emer. Mngmt. Coord said, "Travis County would have had to ban fireworks in early December to prevent sale and use outside the city limits, according to state law. Weather wasn't dry enough to legally implement the ban."
He also said we had 238 fires in a 48 hr period around New Year's, almost all caused by fireworks.


This message was edited Jan 4, 2008 1:08 PM

Wow! 238 fires! that is terrible, I guess people just don't learn.

That's downright disgusting that humans are so distructive and inconsiderate. We live outside Houston city limits, so only the county governs us and you know what that means, few restrictions. We had neighbors in our very large neighborhood popping off fireworks and firecrackers until well into the early hours of the morning. Found one left in our drive and a neighbor has one laying on their roof!

Being sick with pregnancy and trying to get the little one to bed at a decent hour all proved extra difficult with the ruckus. Baby woke several times bawling and DH went out to the neighbor nearest us who was popping off stuff on OUR front sidewalk to tell them our baby is asleep and they had several hours prior to be having their fun with their little kids who should now be in bed and should they not take their fun down the street to a parking lot or to our park they can deal with our little one when she wakes. They packed it up thank goodness but you certainly can't tell all to tone it down.

Would not have moved outside city limits where it's not illegal had I known/thought about this issue.

And to do it in SA is so much worse with water restrictions. I am so sorry you and neighbors suffered such great losses.

I am so sorry to hear of the fireworks damage in your neighborhood. I sincerely hope the law enforcement prosecutes the idiots. Also, if you and your neighbors who suffered damage have insurance, be sure to tell the insurance companies who caused the damage. They will go after these people. You and the neighbors can also get together and sue the offending neighbor for damages. If they are property owners and you get a judgment, you can put a lien against their property. Be sure to take them to District Court, not Justice or County Court. Good luck.

We have a no burn ban as well as no fireworks in the city limits here too. But alas, the world is full of idiots :o) We get people out here who like to fire their guns into the air. The idiots don't realize what goes up must come down! A little girl was injured - good thing they caught the man who fired his gun into the air.

Another man decided to burn trash in his back yard and obliterated a few house in mere minutes!

We had about 2000 acres burn last month - not because of fireworks but they are thinking a tractor bailing hay somehow managed to ignite the field and well with everything so dry and the high winds it got out of control quickly. About a dozen neighboring cities sent their firetrucks to help put out the blaze. The majority of them had to travel 35-45 miles to reach the fire. Unreal!!!

~ Cat