Illegal Fireworks Likely Cause Of Fire That Forced Family From Home

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Fireworks were not allowed at all this year in the unincorporated area around Azusa. But neighbors say illegal fireworks still filled the sky.

"He was screaming there was a fire in the back," homeowner Ignacio Perez said of one of his tenants after intense flames Monday forced out a family along with their landlord.

Now he's hoping insurance will help him rebuild, while his tenants with three children who have lived here for seven years get help from the Red Cross. All of them are still in shock.

"You never know if you're gonna feel sad or mad or anything," Perez said.

Some neighbors blame kids near their house.

"I would describe it like a war zone," neighbor Melody Moon said. "All the way around, boom-boom-boom-boom! The sky was lighting up."

Remnants of fireworks lay on the ground Tuesday while what sounded like more fireworks rang into the night.

Next-door neighbor Liz Perez says she even tweeted police about the problem a couple of hours before the fire. Then watched as the flames inched toward her home.

"Of course, it's nerve-wracking," Liz Perez said. "I just heard screaming, so I came outside that's when I saw the flames coming over the wall."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is responsible for this area and said it got hundreds of calls Monday night about illegal fireworks but said it's simply impossible to stop them all.