MoCo Bomb Squad detonates fireworks, taking them off the streets

Nearly 2,000 pounds of confiscated fireworks were detonated in Marina on Sunday. It not only shook the ground, but it was a ground breaking moment for the Monterey County Bomb Squad.

For the team who set them off, it was the first time it’s ever been done locally. NewsChannel 5 found out how the Sheriff’s Office used the opportunity as training will help save lives.

About 1,800 pounds, totaling 80 boxes of confiscated fireworks from around Monterey County exploded at the Marina Dump Sunday afternoon.

“Look at what we had to do to dispose of what we picked up off our streets,” Salinas Fire Chief Edmond Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said if those fireworks had all been detonated at the same time, it could have broken windows throughout Marina. He said getting rid of the fireworks involved a carefully planned out process, with a lot of math involved. The Monterey County Bomb Squad traveled all the way to Alabama to train for similar situations.

“We have 150 hours of manpower putting that very short period of time together,” Deputy Sheriff Mike Smith said.

The weather conditions had to be just right, several environmental groups were involved and firefighters and paramedics were on standby.

“A lot of things can go wrong, and it went perfectly, so we were stoked with that,” Smith said.

The bomb squad said Sunday’s operation was a success because 99 percent of the fireworks are gone.

“We did strip all the fireworks down as much as we could, prior to, so we would have less trash to pick up afterwards, but there’s still cardboard tubes,” a bomb squad member said.

It was a long day for everyone, but those involved said the hard work paid off. Before, cities like Salinas had to pay someone else to get rid of them. Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter said he’s relieved those fireworks are off the streets.

“It was a rough year and fortunately none of those fireworks blew off anybody’s hand or hurt a child, because that’s always our concern. Or burned a house down,” Gunter said.

The impact of the fireworks can be felt from 250 feet away. The bomb squad said it’s probably not the last time they’ll set up a coordinated detonation operation. They’re working with local fire and police departments to detonate any fireworks seizures so cities don’t have to worry about storage and cost issues.