Fireworks explode in Modesto garage, spark fire department, bomb squad response

Illegal fireworks exploded inside a Modesto garage Saturday night, causing substantial damage and drawing a response from multiple fire crews, the city’s police department and the Stanislaus County Bomb Squad, officials said.

Firefighters were dispatched around 9:35 p.m. to the 2700 block of El Pasado Drive following reports of a vehicle crashing into a garage and starting a fire. But when crews arrived, they found smoke coming from the garage and front door — and no sign of a crash.

Instead, “illegal fireworks exploded, causing substantial damage to the ceiling, walls, windows, roll-up garage door, and a vehicle parked inside the garage,” said Capt. Joe Spani, a spokesperson for the Modesto Fire Department.

The explosion sparked a fire that was quickly contained before spreading to the rest of the house. One person suffered from smoke inhalation but refused treatment and declined to be taken to a hospital.

A total of six engines, a quint and two battalion chiefs responded to the fire, alongside members of the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit, Modesto Police Department and the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad.

Spani said investigators found that the illegal fireworks that went off had been placed on top of other unused fireworks, which were also illegal. The unexploded devices were confiscated and destroyed by the bomb squad.

“Only Safe and Sane fireworks with the seal of the California State Fire Marshal are legal in California,” Spani said. “Fireworks should be stored in fireproof containers, and after use they should be soaked in buckets of water for 24 hours — away from buildings or flammable materials.”