Got illegal fireworks? Be warned, after last year’s tragic fireworks explosion in the Salt Lake-Āliamanu area that killed six, there are tougher laws and public safety is top of mind for state officials.
Mike Lambert, director of the state Department of Law Enforcement, joined The Conversation ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.
Interview highlights
On the public's behavior towards fireworks, reporting
MIKE LAMBERT: It's going to take some time to change behavior. We're really hoping that at least a handful of families that participated last year or previously saw the devastation that happened to that family, and are going to say, "You know what? This year, we're not going to roll that dice." … Really, when you're changing something that people will say [is] "culture," which I disagree with — maybe tradition, because you can have any tradition that you want — but when people think that it's OK, or when they think that nobody cares, that's when it perpetuates. So we're really hoping that people are on our side and say it's annoying, it's dangerous, and this community is kind of over it. We're actually already out. We have actually been going out week after week. So what we want to ask everybody to do is go on our website, law.hawaii.gov, and there's a tip line, and you can stay anonymous, even though it says report. What we're asking people to do — if you know your neighbors have historically popped, then go ahead and give us that address. And what we're going to do is we're actually trying to look at how we're going to move our way through the county New Year's Eve.
On fireworks coming in through the harbors
LAMBERT: Year to date, what we have total calculated is over 40 tons (of illegal fireworks), and then we actually have what is likely to be another 20 tons uncounted, because we just caught a huge influx of containers that came in recently. So we have to get official weights. But like I said, we're good for 40 tons so far, which is a lot. … When you're dealing with an issue, you've got to start somewhere. And I can tell you right now if it does end up being close to 60 tons, that's a lot of fireworks that won't be in the neighborhoods this year. We're going to have to try to do our best to indict those individuals, because there's only so many people doing it. So year over year, if we can indict two or three of these shippers, then again, four or five years down the road, you know, it's only the very hardcore. And some of the things that we want to let people know that we're dealing with organized crime, so they're not foolish, right? I mean, they have lawyers, they're trying to find loopholes, and it's just a matter of law enforcement staying ahead of what they're doing.
On the Salt Lake-Āliamanu explosion
LAMBERT: We have to have a real conversation that a three-year-old burned to death. ... Which is probably one of the most excruciating ways a human being can die, and then for people to be like, “Oh, one in a million.” It upsets me, because I'm thinking like, “Jesus, what is it gonna take?" How many families have to be short this Christmas? How many people have to walk around with burns to their body that you can never fix before people say, “Maybe we should switch the way we party.” And I've been kind of telling people the smaller community groups, I said, “Let's find a new way to celebrate.”
On penalties
LAMBERT: We're going to be out there. It goes all the way up to (Class) A felony. So if you recklessly light and it creates serious bodily injury or death, you're going to be facing a felony if it creates substantial bodily injury. And that doesn't really take much, basically a huge laceration on someone, it's a [Class] B felony. And I really do believe that all day through the judiciary, they're going to make examples of people who are making decisions that harm others.
To report illegal fireworks sellers, call 808-517-2182. To report fireworks noise or illegal fireworks, call the police department at 911.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 22, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Hannah Kaʻiulani Coburn adapted this story for the web.
