Resident says illegal fireworks sparked collision with home, hospitalizing neighbor

A Roseville resident told the City Council during public comment on July 16 that illegal neighborhood fireworks nearly set a home ablaze and preceded an incident that landed a 71-year-old neighbor in the hospital.

The resident described multiple-launch bottle rockets that fell on roofs, dry grass and a back porch, and said one rocket struck the family-room window; the resident said that if the window had been open the home’s couch ‘‘would have lit on fire.’’ The commenter said the neighbor, identified only as Gladys in the remarks, has Parkinson’s disease and suffered a fall in the middle of the night that resulted in a shattered hip and a hospital transport; the commenter said first responders found the neighbor disoriented and with injuries. The resident said the neighbor had been kept up for days by competing fireworks and that some neighborhood participants later told the commenter they ‘‘don’t care whose house they burned down.’’

The commenter thanked two responding officers by name, Officer Kim and Officer Mendietta, for their assistance and said local penalties were not acting as a sufficient deterrent. The resident said they were told a fine for small bottle rockets can be $1,000 and proposed stronger enforcement measures and stiffer penalties.

Mayor Bernasconi and council members acknowledged the comment and expressed shared concern; the council did not take enforcement action during the meeting. No staff presentation or formal referral was recorded for immediate action; the commenter urged the city to consider stepped-up enforcement or other remedies.