Despite San Jose officials’ myriad efforts to crack down on illegal fireworks, people managed to illegally set off numerous sparklers and other mini pyrotechnics on the Fourth of July.

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San Jose: 2 killed, 4 wounded in shooting near SJSU While many residents celebrated the holiday in the usual American tradition complete with family barbecues, patriotic parades and several city-sponsored fireworks shows, others deviated from the legal script.

Complaints about people using Roman candles, bottle rockets and other banned explosives didn’t let up this year. According to the city, police received 600 reports of illegal fireworks last year during the entire Fourth of July weekend when the holiday fell on a Monday; this year, they received about 500 reports on July 4 alone. About 900 complaints of banned fireworks have been filed through an online reporting system since late June.

District 10 Councilman Johnny Khamis, who pushed for raising fines last year in response to the steady drum of complaints, said in an interview that illegal fireworks were “still everywhere” this year, though it seemed “they were less intense.”

“It didn’t go late into the night like it did last year, at least in my district,” Khamis said. “It was slightly better than last year. I was able to sleep past 11.”

Neighbors took to social media in the days before and after the holiday weekend, sharing complaints and concerns about traumatized pets and fire hazards; many also compared their neighborhoods to war zones.

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Because of the increased fines, first-time offenders now get socked for $500 and repeat offenders up to $1,000 for each additional violation.

Police officers, firefighters, park rangers and code enforcement officers were all tapped to issue tickets this year. The city also offered an extra incentive by waiving the $175 fee for 50 block party permits if the hosts agreed to not use any prohibited explosives at their gatherings. It’s not known yet whether the free party permit program succeeded.

“We won’t get a report until the end of August from the Public Safety and Finance Committee as to what the results were, how many people were cited, how many people took advantage of the program and whatnot,” Khamis added.

City leaders will look at enforcement issues once the report is complete, Khamis said, adding that he “heard some anecdotal things” such as five citations being given out the day before the holiday.

“I know that there were more citations given this year than last,” he said, although he could not remember the exact number.

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There were no reported injuries at the $50,000 fireworks show at Almaden Lake Park, which Khamis said about 30,000 people attended. However, one creature seemed determined to put a stop to all of the holiday fireworks, including the legal ones.

“We did have a squirrel chew through a wire,” Khamis said, adding that people “shooed him away a couple of times” but the rodent proved to be relentless.

“The poor people were trying to find the wire, and the display had some pauses in there that were unintended,” he said. “It’s like the squirrels were wanting to take back their territory.”