Fireworks Safety

Every year you hear the warnings, but unfortunately, people still aren't getting the message -- the dangers of fireworks.
In Washington, it took firefighters nearly nine hours to knock out flames at an abandoned school overnight.
Fireworks can be beautiful in the proper hands, but can be destructive and even deadly if not handled properly.
"The fire warped the siding of my house. It was the most horrible thing I've ever experienced in my life because I really thought it was going to burn my house. I was really scared that night," homeowner Lupe Rangel said.
Rangel saw the next-door neighbor's house on fire in the early morning hours of New Year's Day.
"The children were playing in the street, and they were popping fireworks. I think one must of gone that way," Rangel said.
It's really not that uncommon for fireworks to turn a holiday into a horrifying disaster.
"You're talking about 800 to 1,000 people every single year who is losing permanent vision from fireworks injuries," ophthalmologist Dr. Todd Shepler said.
Shepler works round the clock during holidays like Fourth of July and New Year's.
"One of the common things we see is when you have a firework, it doesn't go off. You think it's a dud. You go down to relight it and all of a sudden, it explodes," Shepler said.
Shepler says leave the major shows to the professionals. Rangel agrees and says she plans on taking action if she sees any firework activity on her street.
"They said to call 311, not 911 cause it ties up the lines. So, I'm ready to do that," Rangel said.
Shepler says another big danger is children playing with sparklers. He says while they may seem harmless, children under the age of 5 often bring them too close to the face and burn their eyes.