Firefighters: Kids playing with fireworks spark small fire near mall

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Firefighters in DeKalb County said a small fire in a mall parking lot was started by a group of kids playing with fireworks overnight.

Officers said the fire was sparked in bushes near Northlake Mall.

FOX 5 cameras spotted a row of blackened shrubs where the fire flared up before firefighters got it under control.

Firefighters remind consumers that fireworks, even handheld sparklers, can reach 2,000 degrees and can easily spark fires. And all fireworks should be used under adult supervision.

Georgia law dictates fireworks are only allowed between 10 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on the Fourth of July and other certain holidays.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said about 12,900 people required emergency medical treatment for fireworks injuries in 2017. Of those, about two-thirds were during the Fourth of July holiday.

In 2015, Georgia put a 5 percent tax on fireworks which goes towards the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, and local public safety.

Officials stress that it is illegal to shoot off fireworks within 100 yards, or the distance of one football field, from an electric plant, water treatment plant, waste-water treatment plant, gas station, refinery, electric substation, jail, prison, helipad, hospital, nursing home, or other health care facility.

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