Now that Christmas 2023 has come and gone, many residents are now looking ahead to those New Year's Eve festivities.
For many, that may mean buying fireworks to ring in the New Year.
Out in the London area, Punisher Pyros is helping people prepare for New Year's Day celebrations. The locally owned fireworks stand has been doing just that since 2015, and though they're open a few days before Christmas.
"It's not until after the big day that owner Nina Newton said business begins to pop off," she said.
While it may be fun to pop those fireworks with your family, Corpus Christi
“It usually does not pick up until after Christmas. Everybody's got Christmas on their mind, and we know that too. It also really depends on when New Year's Eve falls. This year it's on Sunday, so we'll be busy probably Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” she said.
Corpus Christi Fire Department Deputy Chief, Doug Matthijetz said that almost every year, the department responds to some type of firework related incident. From injuries in both children and adults to fires that get out of control.
They said that if residents are using fireworks to celebrate, it's important to do so with extreme caution.
"It's against the law, against city ordinance to pop fireworks in the City of Corpus Christi city limits. You have to go out to the county, outside of the city limits in order to enjoy those fireworks," he said.
Matthijetz said it's not just residential neighborhoods that are off limits to popping fireworks. He says the biggest risk lies on our beaches.
"That is probably our highest risk area because we end up getting into the dunes and the grass where there's a lot of dry vegetation, and that causes a lot of grass fires," he said.
Another thing that people tend to do during New Year's Eve celebrations, that is against the law, is shooting off firearms into the air. Something Matthejitz says is extremely dangerous and could seriously hurt someone.
"What goes up must come down, and unfortunately when they come down, they can strike people. They're going to land somewhere, and we've had them strike where they've struck individuals, houses and cars," he said.
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