This past fourth of July my neighbors had their annual party. This is the first time I told them ( not asked them) to clean up their fireworks. Previously I just cleaned it up myself. This year it was excessive and just plain inconsiderate.
I was speaking with another neighbor yesterday that attended the party. She said her mom and she cringed every time our other neighbor set off the fireworks. She was scared my house was going to catch fire.
So orginally I was annoyed with them being inconsiderate not picking up hundreds of discarded fireworks pieces now I am afraid my house will burn down. I told my husband he has to talk to the neighbor he is forbidden to direct the fireworks towards our house. We have 1 acre. The neighbors that had the fireworks I think their yard is slightlly smaller. I also think they should shoot it off in the street not in their driveway. Besides so far they are lucky no one has gone to the hospital with burns from fireworks and stupipity.
I didn't mean they were setting them off at July 10th last week at the 4th. However I spoke to my other neighbor yesterday and she told me she was horrified how close the fireworks were near to my house..and some landing on my roof. We were away for the weekend visiting family. Plus I can't stand their obnoxious party but I will be nothing but gracious to them. Our houses are not on top of each other. However when they have their party going I can't hear anything in my own house. There music is way too loud. I have not said anything about that..I am not one that has ever liked anything loud. I like hiking, camping,peaceful activities.
Absolutely. They're banned here due to dry conditions... And there have been tons of news articles about what can catch fire from fireworks. A roof is certainly one of them.
It has happened plenty of times... especially when there is debris in the gutters, like dried leaves and twigs.
Just because it is an asphalt roof shingle, doesn't mean it won't catch fire... just think... what is asphalt? It is a petroleum based product, on a hot roof, and if it then comes in contact with sparks from a firework, you potentially have a problem.
Fireworks were also banned in central Texas this year due to the extremely dry/drought conditions. 72% of Texas is in the highest drought category this year.... whew! Most of the area cities also cancelled their public firework displays due to the extreme fire danger.
C.-most fireworks are illegal in PA without a permit. This is from the state police site:
State law prohibits the use of Consumer and Display Fireworks in Pennsylvania without a permit.
Items defined as “ground and hand-held sparkling devices”, “novelties” and “toy caps” in American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) Standard 87-1 are not currently regulated by State Law; therefore, their sale and use are permissible. These “non-fireworks” are the only types allowed to be sold from tents, stands, convenience stores, retail establishments and other various outlets not licensed by the Department of Agriculture
If I were you I would find out which your neighbor is setting off. If they are the illegal kind (which it sounds like they must be) you should think about reporting him.
It's one of the most common causes of house fires and is THE big reason why they're banned in most areas (because the city picks up the tab when the firefighters have to come out and put out a fire... they DO have to get paid, and the manhours and water costs and materials usage -from chemicals to gas to new equipment that's been damaged from the fire- costs 10's of thousands of dollars for every residential house fire). Not to mention court costs (criminal if someone is injured or dies) and civil lawsuits from loss of life and property damage, plus police hours/ overtime... fireworks being legal on the 4th are HUGELY expensive from a city budget perspective. In a single day in a medium city the city expenditure is more than it costs to run an elementary school -with all "extra" programs like sports, music, science, art- for a year. More if it's a "bad" year (aka a dry one).
The personal injuries from people mishandling simple explosives, aren't why cities make them illegal (insurance companies pay the vast majority of those costs). It's the HUGE cost to the city, the vast majority of which comes from house fires. Most of which start on people's rooves.
If you don't already soak your roof for several hours on the 4th, PLEASE start. Rule of thumb is that when you squeeze the shingle it needs to drip, which is typically an hour of being soaked. An average roof needs about 4 hours of hose time for the entire roof to be adequately protected. (Asphalt shingles need to be rewetted every hour).
((It should be noted: I LOVE fireworks, and set them off whenever I have the opportunity. But I've also always set them off on docks/ beaches far away from people's homes. I was reeeeally sad when our city banned them several years ago, because we lived on the water. But all the houses in the hills were setting them off, and there were dozens of housefires every year. It was costing the city millions.))
It depends on the type of roofing material you have. Most are treated to be fire resistant but fireworks still cause lots of fires every year. If you live inside a city limit, you may be able to call the police if they continue to light fireworks, most cities and towns have laws against setting them off for this very reason. This year many dry areas of the country had burn bans making it illegal even in the country.
Of course fireworks (even the "safe and sane" type) landing on your roof can cause a fire, it happens every year. Here's a couple from this week:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/south_king/ken/news/124990544...
http://beaconhill.komonews.com/news/911/fireworks-likely-...
C.,
I would encourage you to document everything. If you have to, speak to the fire dept and inform them of what your neighbor is doing. Yes, fireworks on the roof can and will cause a fire! I would be scared about that too! GL
M
When we have had neighbors doing that I stand outside with a hose wetting down my roof. I had some neighbors burn our truck in 2 places one year. Not one of them would chip in on fixing it.
It all depends upon the type of roof you have...you don't have a thatch roof or bare wood - right? you most likely have a slate roof - which it would have to take a lot of make the roof catch on fire...depending upon the age of your roof - it most likely has fire retardant on it as well...
this really sucks - you need to get things straightened out....I'm glad you are standing up for yourself!!
My son's father is a fireman - Yes, a house can catch on fire from fireworks.
Especially if your area has been extremely dry.
My area has been under a burn ban for months now - we have had no rain. While our city ordinance bans fireworks within city limits they usually let it slide during holidays - but this year city police were out in force enforcing the ban.
If your area bans fireworks - simply call and report the neighbors the next time the light them.
Last summer we had a very large fire at the recycling plant behind where we lived due to kids shooting off bottle rockets, due to wind and dry conditions it could have been far worse, luckily it only affected the recycling plant, but it also got the wood privacy fence that ran along the back of our property, and had the fire department not been so quick to respond or if the wind had been blowing a different direction it Very easily could have reached our duplexes.
Fireworks can cause fires.
Wood shingles on a dry summer day- yes. asphault or other compostite materials, no. I live in a place where everything but sparklers and smoke bombs are illegal. Its nice.
I am in Pa and I know most types of fireworks are illegal here, even though people set them off. You are not even allowed to purchase them from local stores if you live in PA, but they can sell to out of state people, they are supposed to check drivers licenses but I think they let it slide and end up selling them to people who reside in Pa. You can call the police and tell them or the fire dept. next time it happens. You can tell them you want to be anonymous and they will respect that. If they only do it on fourth of July, call next year. Even if you are not home, you can call and let the police know. I wouldn't put up with neighbors setting off fireworks, especially if they were all over the yard, I remember your previous post about that and I didn't even think of the danger they put your house in. I would definitely call the police next year! Until they do it again, though there isn't much you can do except ask them not to do it, but it sounds like they wouldn't listen so I would probably just wait until they did it again and call the police. It isn't just an issue of them being rude by leaving your yard a mess, they are putting your house and your belongings in danger.
What inconsiderate neighbors! Yes, it can definitely start on fire. Glad it didn't.
Yes yes yes they can!
I dealt with this years ago, neighbor was setting them off right infront of our driveway, so closer to our house instead of his. I talked with him after he set a few off, he did not move, had a few ashes land on the garage, I called the police.
YES firework remains can start a fire, it is NOT safe to having anything from a firework fall on a roof (ashes can burn enough and start a fire). I would call the police ASAP next year. Also if there is any debry left from the fireworks that is littering on your property and if they do not clean it up after you have talked with them call the police about it.
This year I dealt with neighbor setting them off way too many days, and I think illegal homemade ones. Called the police, he did not get caught in the act so they just gave him a talking too. I also have talked with the neighbor about the wall rattling fireworks so I am sure he knows it is me but safety first.
It's July 10th.
Are they still lighting off fireworks?
If you're worried about something from last week catching fire now, I'm pretty sure you're safe.
You have plenty of time to talk to your neighbors about it in advance of their next annual party.
Best wishes.
Unless you are on a dead end road, I wouldn't suggest setting firecrackers off in the street. Coming home from a professional display on the 4th, my family nearly drove on top of a lit firework on a side street that leads to our own street! It was seriously foolish of our neighbors to light them and go for cover without even attempting to block off the street! Both my brother and I have had problems with neighbors further down the road who have been lighting fireworks for two weeks straight. It's driving the dogs and babies crazy. We both just finally went down and asked them to quit it. So far, so good!
A 5 yrs old home burnt down from fireworks landing on the roof. And of course it wasn't the persons home that burnt but it was their neighbors. It was only 3 blocks from our home & happened on New Years Eve (4 1/2 yrs ago), which it's very cold here. The entire inside of the home was unlivable. Also the side of the house next door was severely damaged as well. The homes are spaced 12 feet from each other. It was very sad to watch & displaced 2 families for a long time.
Last summer it happened in Flower Mound, TX. It was all over the news this summer as a reminder to people not to shoot fireworks. Their house burned to the ground when a neighbor's fireworks landed on the roof. Here in TX, it is illegal to shoot fireworks in the city limits. If that's the case in your area, then I would make sure in future years someone is around to call the police/fire dept. on them.
Hi, C.:
Call the Good Shepherd's Mediation Center in Philly.
Ask them who can run a Circle Dialogue in
your area and invite the neighbors to discuss
the issues.
Just a thought.
Good luck.
D.
.
