DEARBORN — Sounds of explosions blaring through neighborhoods and the sight of smoke dominating residential streets could’ve easily been mistaken for a war zone over the Fourth of July weekend.

Since the state has allowed the selling of consumer fireworks in 2012, usage has drastically increased and has resulted in booming business for retailers who have obtained a license to sell the products.

That increased usage has brought with it a number of concerns. The University of Michigan’s Trauma Burn Center reports that, as a result of fireworks usage, injuries have seen a drastic spike.

Local municipalities have also had to enforce strict laws, as frequent fireworks usage has become a growing nuisance in neighborhoods. 

Over the Fourth of July weekend, more than 650 calls were dispatched to the Dearborn Police Department related to fireworks usage. Police officers issued 49 tickets to individuals who did not follow the laws. 

The city has maintained a strict enforcement of a policy that restricts firework usage to the day before, day of, or day after national holidays, such as the Fourth of July and Memorial Day. The ordinance also states that no use is allowed between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m., with the exception of New Year’s Day, when the use is extended to 1 a.m. 

However, those restrictions haven’t stopped residents from discharging fireworks around the clock and on any given day. Last month, the Dearborn Police Department began responding to complaints and issuing $500 tickets to residents who violated the law.

It turned out that there was some confusion when the tickets were issued. Dearborn Police officers cited the majority of the tickets as misdemeanors, which could end up as a permanent part of an individual’s record. But state laws indicate that illegal firework usage should be marked as a civil infraction. 

Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad told The Arab American News that the city’s legal department is considering ratifying the city’s ordinance to better reflect the state’s laws.

“We didn’t have a current civil infraction violation on the ordinances that would be appropriate with the amendment with the state law,” Haddad said.  We found that the most appropriate violation was a misdemeanor. We’ve talked to the law department and we are going to see if there is a more appropriate civil infraction that could be passed for future enforcement.”

A few disgruntled parents contacted The Arab American News this week regarding their children receiving tickets for using fireworks. They argued that Dearborn’s enforcement is too strict and that the incident will now appear on their permanent records. 

In one case, an officer issued a ticket to an 18-year-old male on June 22 for “possession of illegal fireworks.” The following week, the youth pled guilty in front of Judge William Hultgren at the 19th District Court. Along with a hefty $400 fine, he received four months of probation. 

Haddad noted that there are varying circumstances with each citation and that each case will get treated differently in court. Some people were ticketed for discharging fireworks past the allowed time frames, while others were ticketed for discharging fireworks at schools, on city streets or at parks, which are also against the law.

People were also cited for discharging fireworks too close to other residential properties, another common issue. 

Local resident Rana Abbas said her parent’s home in east Dearborn nearly caught fire because an airborne firework landed near their house after it was discharged by a neighbor. A tree near the house was also damaged. 

“I think it’s gotten out of hand. Ever since they were legalized, people have been taking a careless attitude when setting them off,” Abbas said.  “It’s not just happening the day of [Fourth of July], it’s happening weeks before and weeks after. There’s no open space to set off these fireworks and it baffles me that Dearborn’s ordinance isn’t more restricted.”

Dearborn resident Samira Faraj told The Arab American News that she was awakened to the sound of fireworks at 4 a.m. on July 6. Teenagers were discharging them in the neighborhood near Maples Elementary School. She said she contacted the police, because the noises were startling her younger cousin.

Haddad said parents should be aware of the hazards that come attatched with fireworks, noting that there’s been an increase in usage among minors. 

“During these summer months the number one complaint we get is fireworks,” Haddad said. “We are trying to strike some balance, knowing that people want to celebrate. But we really need to be careful and make sure that young people are not injured. They are selling such high-end fireworks now that they are no longer suitable for lighting them on front lawns. Parents need to take a close look,  because there is a potential for great danger.” 

Hands and fingers are the body parts most often injured, accounting for 41 percent of fireworks injuries; followed by heads, faces and ears at 19 percent; torsos at 15 percent; legs 13 percent; eyes at 12 percent and arms at 1 percent, according to U of M’s Trauma Burn Center.

Despite the fires, there were no reported serious injuries in Dearborn this year. But that was not the case in Detroit. Arab American resident Mahir Aburouman, 44, was killed this week while he attempted to discharge a firework in the air. Instead, it hit him in the chest, causing fatal injuries.