So what are illegal fireworks? 

"If it flies or if it blows up, it’s illegal." 

That’s Captain Jeff Lynch with Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. He says even legal fireworks are dangerous if they’re not used properly. But illegal ones…like bottle rockets, M-80s and firecrackers…can cause serious damage. 

"If you fire a burning projectile into the air, you have no control on where it’s going to land." 

To deal with the problem, Metro Fire created an illegal fireworks task force with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and the police departments of Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights. They’ll be patrolling the streets this weekend…something they did last year as well. 

"We either cited and or arrested well over 30 people last year in the Sacramento area and we confiscated, it was in excess of over 800 pounds of illegal fireworks."  

Lynch says people are buying illegal fireworks out-of-state. He says anyone caught with illegal fireworks will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law – from a fine to jail time.