Aerial fireworks continue through New Year's Day in Phoenix, and residents are upset

PHOENIX - There's been a lot of chatter on social media about the amount of fireworks fired off over the Valley this holiday season.

Some residents are annoyed and others are concerned about fire risk.

Residents have until Jan. 4 to shoot off consumer fireworks, but many of these aerial fireworks are being shot off illegally. Aerial fireworks can cause more than just a headache if not handled properly.

"They're like bombs. The whole house shakes. That's why I call them bombs," Andrew Oldeschulte, a north Phoenix resident, said.

Oldeschulte says he's lived in his home for seven years and says he has dealt with a neighbor lighting off fireworks throughout the year ever since moving in.

"Take it easy a little bit, especially there. He does it year round. It won't even be a holiday and, all of a sudden, boom," he said.

Oldeschulte says it isn't just disturbing to him, but also the dogs in his home.

"They're just freaking out. It's like, they're going to die, have a heart attack, and the neighbors, too," he said.

Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio says some of these fireworks people hear and see are not just disruptive, but also against the law.

"You have to remember anything that leaves the ground, like you heard on New Year's Eve, taking off into the air, looks like a professional fireworks shoot, those are illegal. People are possessing those illegally and it's illegal to have them. You can be fined if you're caught with them," Capt. Folio warned.

Even though novelty fireworks, like sparklers, can be used year-round, they should be used with extreme caution.

"This can light your clothes on fire … It burns at 2,000 degrees, so these are extremely dangerous," he said.

The city of Scottsdale has its own ordinance banning the use of any fireworks within a mile of the Sonoran Preserve or Pinnacle Peak Park, but Capt. Folio says you really should avoid any desert landscape, especially with wildfires still burning in our state.

"Don't get this false impression that it's cooled off. It's cold. It's still dry. Dry is dry. A couple years ago, they had a huge fire that burned down a lot of homes in Colorado with snow on the ground. Dry is dry, dead is dead. Our desert is still fragile right now," Capt. Folio said.

Here's some more important seasonal advice from Capt. Folio: If you have a real Christmas tree in your house, get it out as soon as possible. Those trees are huge fire hazards once they die, which can happen in just a few weeks. 

If you can pull on the needles, and they come off, it's time to load up that tree and take it to one of the drop-off locations across the Valley.

Click here to learn more about Arizona's fireworks laws.