INLAND EMPIRE - (INT) - More people with illegal fireworks are trying to get a jump start on Fourth of July celebrations.

Fireworks snuggled into the region from Mexico and Nevada are being confiscated as authorities round up individuals caught firing off the devices.

In Adelanto, a 37-year-old father was arrested at his home Thursday while lighting the fireworks for his children.

In Riverside, another man was handed a $1,000 citation for possessing fireworks that some juveniles lit that started a 3-acre grass fire endangering several homes. Authorities are considering billing the man $10,000 for the cost of putting out the fire.

The incidents follow the seizure of tons of illegal pyrotechnics and what's become nightly displays of aerial fireworks in many neighborhoods.

“San Bernardino County is a super highway for trafficking illegal and dangerous fireworks around July 4th,” Fire Marshal Mike Horton said. “In just two weeks of operations, we have stopped and seized 27,000 pounds of dangerous fireworks for entering into the county.”

Residents are urged to report illegal fireworks to local law enforcement or the WeTip hotline 1-800-47-ARSON.

Story Date: July 1, 2017