VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Beach Fire Department is investigating an illegal fireworks display that happened at Rudee Inlet on Monday.
The fireworks went off in the area at around 10:30 p.m. and caused excessive damage to several boats that were docked in the harbor, according to fire officials. The department shared a video of the display.
"The fireworks display was not sanctioned or granted a permit by the City of Virginia Beach nor the Virginia Beach Fire Prevention Bureau," the fire department wrote in a news release.
Fireworks are illegal across Virginia. There are exceptions, like for professionals who go through an approval process.
In this case at Rudee Inlet, fire investigator Steven Huey told 13News Now the fireworks appeared high-end; however, the person or persons who set them off would never have received permission even if they applied.
"A professional fireworks person would have never chosen that spot and never would have fired under those conditions," said Huey.
Huey described winds at roughly nine miles per house coming out of the south or southwest at the time.
"[That] pushed most of the debris from the fireworks right over the marina, did various amounts of damage to about 30 different boats," said Huey.
Reports of damage are coming from people who dock at the marina attached to Rudee's Restaurant and Cabana Bar, according to Huey. Their concerns range from burn marks to damaged coatings and coverings.
"Not to mention, there's a fuel pump there at the marina that also had various chunks of fireworks laying all over it as well," said Huey. "If you get a burning ember to land in the wrong spot, you may have a disaster on your hands. It is not the most likely scenario to happen, but it is certainly a possibility."
13News Now also asked Huey why this particular act is under such a microscope compared to other reports of illegal fireworks displays.
"I've gotten far more phone calls about this one than I did any other. In fact, I don't know if I'd received any complaints of damage to any extent, let alone the amount of damage received at the marina," he said.
And he added that whoever is held responsible faces a $2,500 fine and one year in jail.
To further put this case into perspective, even pinwheels and sparklers are prohibited in Virginia Beach.
Anyone with information about the display or anyone that was involved is asked to reach out to the Fire Prevention Bureau by calling 757-385-4228 or emailing them.
People can also leave an anonymous tip by calling 1-888-562-5887 or online using P3 Tips.