CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The use of consumer fireworks during the holiday season continues to boom, but not everyone is a fan.
Between Friday and Monday, the Chesterfield County Police Department responded to 70 noise complaints and 24 calls about fireworks. The department said there weren’t any injuries or property damage in connection to any of these calls.
Kaitlyn Wray, who lives in the Salem Woods are of Chesterfield, woke up to the sound of explosions at around 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. She said her surveillance cameras captured fireworks going off for about an hour.
“I really looked outside and there was just a bunch of colors. I was too tired to really do anything,” she said. “I don’t know how to explain it. It just felt very odd that it was like a block party and you weren’t invited to it.”
The next afternoon, on Christmas Day, Wray and her husband found six different pieces of firework debris scattered across their backyard. The debris raised concerns about their dog’s safety and the risk to the trees on their property.
“Anything could have happened if it was still lit. We didn’t know if people were drinking. You don’t know what’s going on,” she said.
Police didn’t mention if they handed out citations over the weekend. However, they remind people that it’s illegal to sell, posses and use fireworks in Chesterfield County, unless you’re a licensed and permitted fireworks professional.
Setting off fireworks in Chesterfield could result in a class 1 misdemeanor charge and could lead to a fine of $2,500 dollars or jail time.
