Mountain Views News Saturday, June 28, 2025

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FOURTH OF JULY SAFETY IS A PRIORITY FOR CAL FIRE

Sacramento – Safe and Sane firework sales start tomorrow at noon in some jurisdictions throughout California, resulting in fire officials emphasizing 
the dangers of fireworks. Prevent fires and injuries and always check local regulations before buying. Note that fireworks bought outside 
California are illegal without a license. Consider enjoying a professional display instead of purchasing fireworks.

If Safe and Sane fireworks are legal in your area and you choose to use them, it's important that you follow these safety tips:

Use only State Fire Marshal approved fireworks.

Local ordinances should be verified before purchasing and/or using fireworks.

Always read directions.

Always have an adult present.

Only use fireworks outdoors.

Never use fireworks near dry grass or other flammable materials.

Light one firework at a time.

Have a bucket of water and a hose nearby.

It is recommended that you use a bucket of gray/reused water to submerge your fireworks after they are used to fully extinguish them.

It is illegal to transport safe and sane fireworks through any city or county where they are not allowed.

"Since 2024, fireworks have caused over $35 million in property damage across California, sparking 1,230 fires," said Chief Daniel Berlant, California 
State Fire Marshal. "It is your responsibility to prevent fires and injuries. Don’t let your Fourth of July celebration end in flames."

To learn more about fireworks safety, visit https://readyforwildfire.org/prevent-wildfire/fireworks-safety/. 


ALL THINGS 

By Jeff Brown 

“WILDFIRE DAYS: A WOMAN, A HOTSHOT 
CREW, AND THE BURNING 
AMERICAN WEST,” by Kelly Ramsey

Kelly Ramsey’s new book, chronicles her time 
fighting some of the state’s most dangerous 
conflagrations alongside an all-male crew of 
Hotshots. The elite wildland firefighters are 
tasked with applying their tactical knowledge 
to tamp down the biggest fires in the state.

When Kelly drives over a California mountain pass to join an elite firefighting crew, she’s 
terrified that she won’t be able to keep up with the intense demands of the job. Not only 
will she be the only woman on this hotshot crew and their first in ten years, she’ll also be 
among the oldest. As she trains relentlessly to overcome the crew’s skepticism and gain their 
respect, megafires erupt across the West, posing an increasing danger both on the job and 
back home. In vivid prose that evokes the majesty of Northern California’s forests, Kelly 
takes us on the ground to see how major wildfires are fought and to lay bare the psychological 
toll, the bone-deep weariness, and the unbreakable camaraderie that emerge in the face 
of nature’s fury.

Despite the wear and tear of her rookie year in fire, Kelly gears up for a second season, determined 
to prove that not only can a woman survive this work, she can excel. But when her 
plans to marry her partner start to crumble and sparks fly with a fellow crew member, Kelly 
wrestles with whether she’s truly outgrown the self-destructive patterns she’s learned from 
her father, whose drinking and itinerant ways haunt her. And as the season wears on, she 
discovers how tenuous “belonging” can be amid ever-changing crew dynamics.

In this vivid, visceral, and intimate memoir, Kelly wrestles with the immense power of fire 
for both destruction and renewal, confronted with the questions: Which fires do you fight, 
and which do you let burn?


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com