Firework Remnants to Blame for Monday’s House Fire

The still-hot remains of legal fireworks used on July 4 were the cause of that evening, according to Gilroy Fire Investigator Andy Holiday. 

The leftovers from the fireworks were stored inside a sack when they ignited, causing a fire at 130 Bennet St. at 10:41 p.m. Monday, Holiday said.

The four family members inside the home were unaware of the flames growing in their garage until a neighbor began pounding on their door, according to a battalion chief who responded to the incident, Jim Crawford.

Holiday said that the home received approximately $100,000 in structural damage, with some $15,000 in property damage.

“Everything in that house has smoke damage,” he said, adding that it could take up to a year to repair the home.

The family was using the “” fireworks legal in Gilroy from July 1-4, but the paper garbage left over after their use was still hot enough to light inside the garage.

“Those things stay hot for a long time,” said the investigator. “You can think it’s out, it looks like it’s out, it even feels like it’s out, but it’s not.”

Instead of simply tossing the seemingly cooled remnants into the garbage, Holiday said that leftovers from fireworks should be placed in a five-gallon bucket of water overnight. By the morning, the leftovers can be safely disposed of.

“It’s hard to get people to realize this, but what’s inside that little paper tube is molten-hot stuff,” he said.

—Gilroy firefighters responded to a number of flareups that day attributed to the still-smoldering remains of legal fireworks.

It also isn’t the only time of year where garbage fires are a high risk: Holiday said that ashes from winter fires are a common source of flareups.

“They can sit in a fireplace for two days and still start a fire,” the investigator said.

Some residents hose off the remains before disposing of them, a practice that Holiday called “better than nothing.” Submerging the fireworks is best, he said.

For those planning to follow that advice, take note—Home Depot sells single 5-gallon Homer buckets for $2.54.