OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was out in full force Thursday to make sure road-side vendors weren't selling illegal fireworks.
Authorities said most injuries related to fireworks involve children.
"If it flies up in the air or if it explodes, it is probably not approved," said inspector Javier Camps.
Those types of fireworks require a special permit to be bought or sold. Selling them illegally can be lucrative, but it is very risky.
"Do you catch a lot of people selling illegal fireworks?" Local 10 News reporter Todd Tongen asked Camps.
"It is not normally what we expect to encounter," Camps said.
"Does it happen?" asked Tongen.
"Here and there, but it is not the norm," Camps said.
A stand on 27th Avenue, just south of the Palmetto Expressway has been selling legal fireworks around the Fourth of July for years. Employees there said they understand that breaking the law could put their business up in smoke.
"The incentive to stay to the rules is not getting caught," Camps said. "To not have a cash outlay and have that product confiscated and now you are out twice. You're out the product, you are out the customers."
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