VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- The Virginia Beach Fire Department cracked down on residents with illegal fireworks on July 4th.
In total, 300 pounds of illegal fireworks were confiscated in the city, according to VBFD Spokesperson Art Kohn.
Chesapeake fire officials said together with the police department, they responded to 150 calls. One man had hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of fireworks at his home.
"I mean, the guy was shooting it off from a cake, and it malfunctioned," said Master Deputy Fire Marshal Greg Orfield. "It went off prematurely and the stars and bulbs went over everyone's yards."
No citations or arrests were made in either city, though. Chesapeake officials handed out 11 paper warnings.
"Most people literally just have no idea that they're not allowed to do that. We're very close to North Carolina border," said Chesapeake Fire Dept Spokesperson Lt. Anthony Barakat.
He told 13News Now the goal is to confiscate the fireworks, but also educate about the dangers of illegal fireworks.
Now that the 4th of July festivities are over, police will continue to monitor for any potential violations.
Personal use or possession of consumer fireworks is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia. Permitted "fireworks" in the Commonwealth include sparklers, fountains, Pharaoh's serpents, pinwheels, and whirligigs.
Firecrackers, skyrockets, torpedoes, and other fireworks which explode, travel laterally, rise into the air, or fire projectiles into the air are all prohibited.
The fire department shared photos of confiscated fireworks on their twitter page:
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