Fireworks sales go boom

Tyler Helbush waited in line with hundreds of others to nab firecrackers at Don Quijote in Pearl City before dawn Monday.

The Waikele resident showed up at 5 a.m. and said he was fortunate to be near the front of two lines that ended up snaking around the building. Just before 6 a.m. store employees passed out maps of where each firecracker brand was located inside, he said. Once the doors opened it was chaos.

“They have two doors … and both of them must have had 300 to 400 people in each line,” said Helbush, who had three fireworks permits. “It was pretty crowded.”

At the Don Quijote on Kaheka Street, Ryan Yamamoto said he was able to score some firecrackers Wednesday night after being off island until that morning. After calling the store to make sure they were not sold out, he showed up to find just a roughly 3-foot-high stack of firecrackers left.

Both Yamamoto and Helbush described fond memories of setting off fireworks when they were kids.

“It’s part of our family tradition,” Yamamoto said. “We’ve done it since we were kids with our parents. It’s kind of fun for our kids.”

According to the Honolulu Fire Department, 17,151 fireworks permits have been issued for this New Year’s Eve, compared with 13,811 last year.

Managers at Don Quijote stores in Waipahu and Pearl City said they were out of stock Tuesday, while Longs Drugs locations in Waipahu, Pearl City, Hawaii Kai and Aina Haina also reported selling out earlier this week. Other managers at stores across Oahu described the busy sales over the past few days.

“Sales are pretty good,” said Dino Alexakos, manager of Pacific Fireworks at the Kapalama Shopping Center. “It’s still steady, but the first day was the busiest.”

But there are fewer retailers selling firecrackers for this New Year’s Eve than in past years: 61 this year, down from 92 last year and 80 in 2014.

HFD Capt. Kevin Mokulehua said he is not sure why there are fewer retailers this year than in the past.

“It’s expensive. It costs a lot of money, and then you got to hope you’re going to sell out of all your firecrackers,” Mokulehua said. “Possibly, retailers that sold last year didn’t make money.”

Alexakos said he ordered about 10 percent more firecrackers for this New Year’s Eve than last year, but pointed out that it is costly to get licenses and that stores would likely need to sell out to make a profit. “The object is to run out,” he added.

Firecrackers are allowed for public use during certain holidays, but users need a permit to purchase them. Permits, which were available through Dec. 21 at satellite city halls, cost $25 each and allow the purchase of up to 5,000 firecrackers. Licensed retailers began selling firecrackers Monday and are allowed to continue until midnight New Year’s Eve.

Firecrackers can be legally set off from 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 1 a.m. New Year’s Day.

HFD reported no major structure fires caused by fireworks this month, but firefighters did respond to one call of an injury or illness due to fireworks.

HFD Chief Manuel Neves said in a statement that “the safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend one of the public displays conducted by trained professionals. If people take the necessary precautions and obey the rules, we will truly have a happy New Year’s Eve.”

Public fireworks displays are planned for New Year’s Eve at several locations, including Aloha Tower Marketplace and off Waikiki Beach.

“We hope that people will respect the fireworks ordinance and understand the dangers associated with firecracker use,” Neves added. “While the number of fireworks-related injuries on Oahu is typically lower than elsewhere in the nation, even a single incident is one too many because it causes suffering, which is preventable.”

The Honolulu Police Department reported receiving 1,121 fireworks-related calls islandwide from Dec. 1 to 25. During the same period, officers made five arrests and issued six citations, as well as spoke to people who may have set off illegal fireworks at 46 residences. The department has confiscated nearly 2,400 pounds of illegal fireworks this month.

In December 2015 HPD received about 2,600 fireworks-related calls, an increase from about 970 calls for all of 2014.

Larry Veray, Pearl City Neighborhood Board chairman, who is part of his community’s security watch, said he was woken up at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday by a loud boom from an illegal firework. He said his condominium association placed restrictions on all fireworks on private property about seven years ago.

“The firecrackers are OK. It’s New Year’s. It’s a tradition,” Veray said. “(But) it’s the aerial bombs that are impacting all of the senior citizens. I actually jumped because it was so loud. There are some (people) that have no respect for the community.”