BUFFALO, N.Y. — Everyone loves fireworks, but when do they become a problem? Some Buffalo residents say the late-night explosions can be excessive.
“At first I was a little scared because I didn't know where the sound was coming from,” said Pam Fernandez, a YMCA camp counselor.
For the elderly, pets, and young children, it can be “too much,” said Kayson Hill, a small business owner. “I have a younger sister that's been scared of fireworks all her life. She doesn't like the boom.” Hill thinks the fireworks will last “all week” and all month.
Camilia Skouson, a mother of two, said in past years the fireworks lasted all summer.
“Definitely seemed like it would go on for way too long,” she said. “It got really old very quickly”
One retiree was scared the explosions would start a fire in her backyard. “The grass is kind of dry in the back…I was afraid if something was going to catch on fire,” said Dosha Lowry, a 75-year-old retired hospital worker. “So I kept getting up and looking out to see, but evidently nothing caught on fire.”
The official firework shows typically end around 10:30 p.m. The City of Buffalo has noise ordinances that begin at 9 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. In Lowry’s neighborhood, she was hearing explosions past 1 a.m.
Leah M. Halton-Pope, an Ellicott District Common Council member, said people should be considerate of their neighbors and community.
“It sounded like a sonic boom in some parts,” she said. “It definitely had an impact on children, kids, but also those veterans, those vulnerable populations who may be suffering from PTSD.”
Lowry said the fireworks were “extreme.” People were kept awake late into the night because of the explosions. The city's Department of Public Works reported that at least three city parks were damaged from fireworks. Neighbors stressed that people need to be considerate of the community.
“If we start off by just being what we call ourselves, a city of good neighbors or region of good neighbors, and just being mindful that we have other people around us who are,” Halton-Pope said.