Hoping to reduce the volume of illegal fireworks in town, the Oakland Fire Department has set up collection barrels at six fire stations.
Residents can bring in unused fireworks, and Oakland police can drop confiscated illegal fireworks in the barrels.
The Oakland Fire Department said in a statement that it is particularly concerned about fire danger this year because the wildland fire season started early, on May 15, due to high temperatures and dry vegetation.
Four city fire inspectors will be in the field Friday and Saturday monitoring historic hotspots for illegal fireworks. The fire department also plans to send extra staff and vehicles to Lake Merritt on July 4 in anticipation of large holiday weekend crowds.
The dropoff barrels are located at Station 1 (1603 Martin Luther King Jr. Way); Station 3 (1445 14th St.); Station (1235 International Blvd.); Station 5 (934 34th St.); Station 18 (5008 Bancroft Ave.); and Station 20 (1401 98th Ave.).
