Hahn Announces Tons of Illegal Fireworks Removed from Commerce Warehouse

Los Angeles, CA – Today, Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn is thanking the EPA, Cal Fire, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department for their joint efforts removing 75 tons of illegal fireworks found in a warehouse in the City of Commerce. The fireworks were safely moved over the course of the last several days and will be destroyed by the EPA.

“This was a disaster waiting to happen and needed to be dealt with immediately before someone got hurt,” said Supervisor Hahn. “I appreciate both the EPA and Cal Fire for hearing my and Chief Marrone’s concerns and acting as quickly as they could. This was a challenging situation, and it took coordination across all levels of government to solve.”

The fireworks were originally discovered by Cal Fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when they raided the warehouse in late May. They were deemed hazardous material and, therefore, outside of the LA County Fire Department’s authority to remove. However, Hahn and LA County Fire Chief Marrone raised concerns when they learned in mid-July that the materials would not be moved until mid to late August. On Jul 16, Hahn and Marrone wrote a letter to US EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting the urgent and expedited removal of the fireworks and pallets of hand sanitizer found in the warehouse.