HONOLULU — Mike Lambert has heard fewer illegal fireworks exploding in his suburban Honolulu neighborhood in the months since a series of explosions at a house party last New Year’s Eve led to… Six people were killedAmong them is a 3-year-old child.
As director of the Hawaii Department of Law Enforcement, Lambert wondered whether the tragedy had sparked a shift in opinion among Hawaiians. A tendency to ignite illegal fireworks. In some neighborhoods, it will be common to hear loud bangs at any time of the day or night – due to sporting events, celebrations, or for no apparent reason at all.
But this year, the authorities are armed Stricter laws Lambert warned that it was set up in the wake of the tragedy and citations would be handed out to the perpetrators.
“We’re under no illusions that you could have a tragedy on New Year’s Day, and you could sign a law in July and then nothing would happen the following year,” he said. However, he expects some people will decide not to set off fireworks, either because of last year’s fatal accident or because of tightened law enforcement and new laws.
“Before, you could shoot off with impunity,” said state Rep. Scott Matayoshi, who authored two of the five anti-fireworks bills. “Everyone knew they wouldn’t catch you.”
Police can now issue $300 tickets to those who set off fireworks, while repeat offenders and people whose actions cause serious injury or death can face prison time for criminal offences.
Matayoshi said he began working on the legislation the morning after the tragedy at a New Year’s Eve celebration in 2025 when boxes of illegal fireworks overturned and ignited in the Aliamano neighborhood, lighting up the sky in a terrifying set of explosions that left more than a dozen people dead. Severe burns.
“He influenced me a lot,” Matayoshi said. “I could not imagine being a neighbor to someone who had bombs in his house that would explode and hurt and kill my children.”
None of the 12 people arrested have been charged with a crime. Honolulu police said they are working with prosecutors to file charges.
A sign of hope was an amnesty event last month where people turned in 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of illegal fireworks, Lambert said. His administration also increased searches at all ports, noting that illegal fireworks shipped to Hawaii often have ties to organized crime.
As of earlier this month, officers had issued 10 fireworks citations, Honolulu police said. Matayoshi said the number represents an improvement from zero in previous years. It is expected to jump significantly on New Year’s Eve.
New Year’s firecrackers have always been popular in Hawaii, but about a decade ago, professional antennas started to become popular.
“You’re seeing fireworks that were supposed to be set off at events like stadiums and hotels,” Lambert said. He said those fireworks have an explosion radius of 900 feet (274 meters), but they explode in densely packed neighborhoods where homes are often only a few feet away.
Simeon Rojas, an Army veteran, grew up on Oahu in the 1980s and 1990s and enjoyed lighting fireworks and lighting fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Fireworks are part of local culture and tradition.
But when fireworks suddenly exploded while he was at his home in Honolulu’s Kalihi Valley, it “rocked my heart.” It also triggers PTSD from serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It gives me flashbacks,” he said. “I stay with my wife and kids on New Year’s Eve, so I feel safe.”