Malibu Chokes On Smoke From Distant Fireworks, But Far Fewer Visitor Problems This 4th

Beaches are back open this morning.

And … compared to years in the past … this year’s Fourth of July did -not- see a particularly large amount of illegal fireworks in Malibu.

But the Malibu was left in a fog of fireworks smoke on the fifth of July… blown in from cities like Oxnard or Los Angeles.

A row of apartments was destroyed when fireworks landed on the roof in the Valley.

Some guy in Oxnard got his thumb blown off.

Police in Baldwin Park said the two men — a 33-year-old and a 24-year-old — died on Saturday while they were “handling illegal fireworks that detonated unexpectedly.” Both blasts occurred at around 9 p.m. in separate locations.

The cumulative effects of the quarantine … the cancellation of professional fireworks shows … and the sale of tons of so-called safe and sane fireworks in nearby cities.

All of that resulted in massive illegal fireworks blasts.

Los Angeles County firefighters responded to a total of 1,676 fires … 327 more than the 4th of July last year.

There was one small fire in Malibu … at Malibu Creek State Park … on the Fourth ofJuly.

Rangers had it out before the fire department could arrive.

At least 44 structures burned in areas L.A. County Fire covers.

There were also 13 brush fires, and 370 other outdoor fires that included trash fire and tree fires … nearly all fireworks related.

Mix all that smoke under a stagnant weather pattern.

Leftover fireworks smoke left Malibu’s air quality well into the hazardous zone on the Fifth of July.

By midmorning Sunday .. the air quality index in Malibu was 166 … when it is normally around 70 on a summer morning.

That 166 is well into the “unhealthy” zone.

Downtown L A was choking on hazardous air …. an air quality index of 506 …. a level of pollution rarely seen.

And health officials rell the L A Times there is an obvious …. but not tested …  link between the fireworks smioke and the spread of COVID 19.

The smoke is known to aggravate breathing problems for people .. with chronic diseases like asthma.

And those chronic diseases make person who have them … much more likely to catch or die from the COVID 19 virus.

——

Take a beach town … and then take away access to the beach.

Then put sheriff deputies … on speedy four wheel vehicles … onto the beach.

The deputies start playing with the ATVs …. cutting donuts … jumping hills.

And now people who live next to the beach start posting pictures of the sheriff’s deputies goofing around.

One video showed a deputy repeatedly falling off of his A T V

One Malibu resident called it the ATV sheriffs donuts in the sand championships.

A waste of tax money.

Others defended it … “can you blame them?

“Their whole professional existence is being attacked” she said.

Another said it was probably the cadets.

A spokeswoman for the sheriff … however … posted pictures of the local sheriff’s captain with six other deputies on an ATV.

In fact … it was a group photo of seven deputies lined up on their sand buggies.

Smiling for the camera.

No masks.

No social distancing.

But many Malibu residents felt it was no big deal.

“Oh give me a break!” wrote one.

“ They are out there patrolling the beach sacrificing their 4th of July with their families.”

Zuma and Westward beaches were clamped down tight.

Waves were great over the weekend.

As you can imagine … surfers in many cases made it past the deputies and into the water.

Some of the pocket beaches between Malibu and Point Mugu were just packed.

But pacificc Coast Highway was nearly empty all day.

Teh canyon roads … onyl a few car clubs and motorcycle brigades … by holiday standards.

It looks like L-A stayed out of Malibu … for the most part.