Fireworks suspected after blaze destroys Modesto house

Ron Martin stood outside his fire-gutted home Sunday in east Modesto, trying to fathom everything he had lost.

The retired businessman said most of his home on Springfield Way was destroyed, along with more than 40 years of memories, because someone was playing with illegal fireworks.

Martin said he and his late wife raised their children and some grandchildren in the single-story home, where he has lived since 1972. Soon after seeing smoke coming from the roof Saturday night, neighbors feared for Martin’s life until it was determined no one was inside. Martin said he was in Twain Harte.

Jessica Smart, a spokeswoman for the Modesto Fire Department, said Sunday that investigators believe a bottle rocket or some illegal firework landed on the shake roof, sparking the blaze. Spent bottle rockets also were found in a neighbor’s front yard, residents said.

A contractor at the home estimated the damage exceeded $200,000, not counting Martin’s belongings. Some neighbors offered a spare bed to Martin, who was contemplating where to stay.

Local fire departments were busy Saturday night responding to numerous fires in Modesto, Ceres, Oakdale and other communities.

Smart said the activity picked up about 8 p.m. and “from 10 p.m. to midnight, we were hit pretty heavy with fire calls.” The sirens were heard not only in Modesto but all across the county during that period, she said.

Seven of the 64 calls for service in Modesto on the Fourth of July were for fires, the spokeswoman said.

“It certainly was an active night,” Modesto Battalion Chief Hugo Patino said. “We are seeing (dry) conditions that are more like what we see in late July and August. With the drought, things are extremely dry and it does not take much to get a fire started.”

Units were wrapping up a grass fire on Hillside Drive in Modesto’s airport neighborhood when the call for the Springfield Way structure fire came at 10:50 p.m. Modesto units also dealt with smaller fires that were put out quickly, Patino said.

Debra Campbell, who lives next door to Martin, said big fireworks “like you see at John Thurman Field were lighting up the sky all around us” before smoke was seen coming from the roof of Martin’s home. She and other neighbors said wind added to the dangerous conditions.

Members of an enforcement task force, including Modesto police and the fire department, witnessed the same spectacle as they patrolled across Modesto in unmarked vehicles Saturday night, said Sgt. Pat Kimes.

They issued 13 citations for municipal code violations to people found in possession of illegal fireworks. Those items include fireworks that explode or shoot into the air, plus legally purchased fireworks that have been altered. Four citations were written the previous day.

Those cited are facing $1,000 fines. Kimes said the number of citations was down from last year, when 27 were issued.

Kimes said it’s become commonplace for residents to use commercial-grade aerial fireworks, some of which are fired from mortars. The pyrotechnics are most likely purchased from sellers who bring them illegally into the state or are acquired in other states that have no restrictions, he said.

“They are using these round tubes and shooting these things several hundred feet in the air,” Kimes said. “We turned a corner and caught two guys who had just dropped them in the mortars (on the street) and took off.”

The sergeant said some of the violators were adults with families. One person protested receiving a $1,000 citation after throwing firecrackers in front of an unmarked car, he noted.

“I wish more people would abide by (the municipal code),” Kimes said. “I wish people would realize the danger they are putting their homes in and the homes of their neighbors in by using aerial fireworks.”

This story was originally published July 5, 2015 at 7:20 PM with the headline "Fireworks suspected after blaze destroys Modesto house."