House fire in Los Banos, Calif., July 2, 2023. (Los Banos Police Department)
A Los Banos house was destroyed by a fire apparently ignited by fireworks set off one block over, police said.
Firefighters and police were called just before 10 p.m. Sunday, July 2, for a large fire in a residential neighborhood at the city’s north edge.
When officers arrived, the police report said, they found a house on Acaciawood Court “fully involved in fire,” with flames spreading to a house next door and two houses that front on Parkwood Drive.
Officers said they saw evidence of fireworks use at a home on Parkwood, and that “many of the occupants” of that home left the area when emergency crews arrived. A search warrant was obtained, and “live illegal aerial fireworks” were found in the home.
Ultimately, the Acaciawood house was destroyed, and the fire burned trees, fences and sheds at three adjacent properties.
No arrests were announced; the case remains under investigation, police said.
Los Banos allows only “safe and sane” fireworks.
Originally published at Bay Area News Group