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Tagging Along With The Task Force: Tracking Down Illegal Fireworks

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Four agencies in Sacramento County are teaming up to track down who's responsible for illegal fireworks. Leaders with the task force say it's a growing problem.

"It's awfully, awfully loud and noisy, it's been that way for a lot of years," said Carl Riordan.

Carl Riordan, a Vietnam Veteran has lived in his Colonial Heights home for 40 years. He says every year, it's the same story: people setting off illegal fireworks.

He said, "You look out the window and you see something go straight over the park: that's illegal isn't it? And they go "boom!"

He says he's continued to call police and the city about what he calls a dangerous and growing problem.

"The way this neighborhood is laid out, you can get something falling into somebody's backyard. The fire would be off and gone in a heartbeat," said Riordan.

READ: Fireworks Safety: Make Sure To Soak Used Fireworks For 24 Hours Before Throwing Them Away

Detectives Mike Baroni and John Eubanks are part of the Sheriff's Office illegal fireworks task force.

They'll be out patrolling through the holiday, trying to get the fireworks off the streets. They say finding the culprits is like playing a game of, "whack-a-mole," said Riordan.

"We're just playing a guessing game trying to locate these fireworks," said Baroni.

But he says the illegal ones are everywhere.

"In some of these illegal fireworks, you can light the entire thing. It actually goes up in the air, and they explode in the air. The problem with that is, you don't know where they're coming down at," Baroni.

They're hoping to prevent more fires from happening in the county. Just Tuesday night near Sacramento's Meadow View neighborhood, fireworks caused a fire.

READ ALSO: Firefighters: Grass Fire Near Marysville Caused By Fireworks

The detectives say the task force is needed because this problem isn't going away, in fact, it's growing.

"Illegal fireworks is basically becoming more popular, they are fairly easy to access," said Eubanks.

There have been at least five fireworks-related fires since the sales started. The Sheriff's Office is hoping that number doesn't grow over the coming days.

We're told it is a delicate process to get rid of the illegal fireworks. They're all taken to the Sheriffs Handgun Range just north of the correctional facility outside of Elk Grove. There is an open field and blast pit there. But officials can't just blow them up all at once for environmental purposes.

There is also a wild horse training program put together by the Sheriff's Office, and we're told the fireworks can scare the horses.

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