SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — With a heat wave gripping the region and drought conditions worsening by the day, officials are reminding everyone that fireworks are prohibited anytime, anywhere in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Come and visit Tahoe but leave those fireworks at home. They are illegal to possess or discharge and can lead to fines and jail.

El Dorado, Placer, Washoe, Douglas and Alpine Counties enforce civil and criminal penalties for possession or use of fireworks. Placer County fines for fireworks possession vary from $300 to $2,000, and some kinds of fireworks are a felony to possess without a license and could result in arrest. Using fireworks that cause fires could result in a charge of arson.

The use of consumer fireworks can lead to fires, devastating burns, other injuries, and even death. Not only are safety precautions a concern, the cost of suppression and any other injury or liability caused by fireworks is the direct responsibility of those persons using fireworks.

In addition to the harm consumer fireworks can inflict on individuals, these unnecessary incidents can also place undue burdens on first responders. Please avoid consumer use of fireworks to help reduce the number of preventable incidents that require response and care. Anyone with fireworks may turn them into any fire station in any fire district without penalty at any time.

For more information on fireworks safety visit nfpa.org.

Source: Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team