As the new year approaches, some may be thinking about celebrating with fireworks. But police in Maryland counties are warning against it.
In Montgomery County, debris in one neighborhood is still visible -- left over from Christmas Eve fireworks in Silver Spring. The huge fireworks left some residents outraged, and prompted police to remind the public that it's not only illegal, but dangerous, to set off fireworks.
Gina Smallwood shared video she took in her Rolling Terrace neighborhood in Silver Spring on Christmas Eve. Drivers did donuts in the street, their tires spinning as fireworks were set off at 12:30 a.m.
Smallwood described the scene as "like a warzone."
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She's been concerned about fireworks being set off in her neighborhood for years. Now she's hoping something will be done about it.
"The whole sky lit up is in gray, and then it's just, 'pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop,'" Smallwood said.
Smallwood did call police, and they responded, but she’s concerned the size of the crowd was overwhelming.
With New Year’s just a few days away, she believes the community needs to be educated.
"If it's not addressed, I'm afraid it won’t just be trees that on fire, it will be people's homes," said Smallwood, who's lived in the neighborhood for 35 years.
Montgomery County Police say they got a spike in calls on Christmas Eve in the police district that includes Silver Spring.
From 6:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., dispatch received nearly 900 calls, many of them fireworks related, and the system got bogged down.
"When you call 18 times for same non-violent event, you’re preventing other calls from coming into emergency communications," said Montgomery County Police Department Captain David McBain.
Police say they're prioritizing and responding to calls to keep the community safe.
"The message for residents of Montgomery County is, fireworks are illegal," McBain said. "You can't possess them, you can't sell them, and you certainly can't use them."
Smallwood, who sees herself as a community activist, says she's even reached out to apartment managers in the area to make sure they're letting tenants know they can't set off fireworks.
"They're bringing in professional type fireworks, which you would see down at the [National] Mall," Smallwood said. "They're huge, and powerful."
Prince George’s County Police are also warning residents against what they call celebratory gunfire, and using fireworks on New Year’s.
Fireworks are illegal in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, including hand-held sparklers.
