Fireworks tragedy claims life of young Oxnard dad

Ventura

Despite a ban, many Oxnard residents celebrate the Fourth of July by setting off fireworks. For one family this year, the danger struck home with the death of a young father, according to authorities.

Authorities said Ronaldo Aguirre, 21, of Oxnard, was lighting fireworks on the roof of an apartment building along Cuesta Del Mar Drive when a mortar shot up and hit him in the head. He died July 10.

Although fireworks hurt thousands of people each year in the U.S., deaths are relatively rare. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says five people died out of about 9,100 who were hospitalized with fireworks injuries last year in the U.S.

Also in the news:

In addition to killing Aguirre, fireworks are blamed for a 3-acre Bell Canyon fire and at least one other serious injury in Ventura County this year. A 19-year-old lost two fingers after burning his hand lighting fireworks in the 1200 block of Hull Place in Oxnard, police said.

“This is an example of what can happen when using illegal fireworks and why we encourage people to go to a show instead of lighting their own,” Oxnard Fire Department Battalion Chief Sergio Martinez said after the pair of Oxnard accidents.

Fireworks are banned for members of the public in Oxnard, so the city had 102 sworn officers on duty on the night of July Fourth, said Assistant Police Chief Eric Sonstegard. The total included beefed-up patrols and extra staffing for the fireworks show at Channel Islands Harbor.

Of the 1,249 calls to 911 that night in Oxnard, 377 involved fireworks, police said. Although the reports were lower in in the past three years, Oxnard officers issued 32 citations and seized about 170 pounds of fireworks.

Fireworks aren’t just dangerous to the users, Sonstegard said Thursday, as some officers faced hostility.

“There were several groups with 40 to 60 people participating in fireworks,” which were sometimes aimed at officers, Sonstegard said.

Officers generally leave such hostile group scenarios rather than risk injury or confrontation in a group setting where it’s hard to determine who set off the fireworks.

“These are some of the challenges we face trying to do enforcement,” Sonstegard said.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM:Learn about public health hazards so you can keep your family safe. Get unlimited access to coverage like this with a digital subscription to The Star.

Except in Fillmore, private fireworks are banned across Ventura County. In Fillmore, only fireworks labeled “safe and sane” — ones that don’t fly or explode — are allowed, and even then, only for a few specified days around the Fourth of July.

While public fireworks displays are considered safer than the alternative, they aren’t problem-free.

At a Simi Valley public display on the Fourth of July 2014, several dozen people were injured when fireworks were accidentally launched into a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000 people at Rancho Santa Susana Community Park. That same night at an Ojai fireworks show, a pyrotechnics staff member was badly injured because of a premature detonation.

MORE:Boyfriend charged in woman’s Santa Paula slaying

As for Aguirre, the mortar knocked him unconscious, according to Martinez. He was taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center for treatment but ultimately succumbed to complications from blunt-force head trauma, said Michael Tellez, an investigator with the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office. The death was ruled an accident, Tellez said.

Aguirre leaves behind a wife and daughter, as well as other family members and friends.

A GoFundMe account has been created to assist with funeral expenses. Donations can be made by visiting https://www.gofundme.com/f/j7ukrt-ronaldo-aguirre. Additionally, a charity dance to raise funds for Aguirre’s family will be held from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Thursday at 455 South A St. in Oxnard.

Jeremy Childs and Gretchen Wenner are breaking news and public safety reporters at the Ventura County Star. Childs can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. Wenner can be reached at gretchen.wenner@vcstar.com or 805-437-0270.