Leading up to Jan. 1, 2024, it’s likely that Hawaii residents will light up the night sky over the island of Oahu with thousands of illegal fireworks to celebrate the coming of the New Year, as they’ve done in years before.

The entire island will erupt with the sound of firecrackers and sight of illegal aerials shooting into the air in a series of blasts, 360 degrees around, while clouds of black smoke and the smell of sulfur hover over towns and billow in and out of houses.

Like it or not, fireworks are a tradition in Hawaii — and it has proven to be a tough one for authorities to break. So much so, that when the Honolulu City Council banned all fireworks of any kind, except firecrackers, in 2011, the law went ignored.

Some say the situation has gotten worse. Two years ago, dozens of people parked their cars on the shoulder of the freeway to watch the illegal displays.

“Every year we warn about the incredible dangers of fireworks, yet every year there is a population of people who disregard that message and cause great harm to themselves or others, including young children,” said Dr. Jim Ireland, director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, in a news release accompanying a recent press conference. “Suffering fatal injuries, or ending up in an emergency room with a limb missing due to a firework exploding, is a tragedy that is completely preventable.”

Last year, Honolulu’s police and fire departments received dozens of fireworks-related calls ranging from people having trouble breathing to serious injuries. Eight people were seriously injured. One person died.

Rhetoric from public officials this December has also focused on the potential to start a wildfire — especially in light of the destruction and devastation the islands witnessed during the Maui and Hawaii fires. 

“All of that last year was before I ever thought we could lose a place like Lahaina,” said Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi at the press conference. “I don’t want to use a scare tactic, per se … [But] wouldn’t it be tragic to start having fires in neighborhoods and losing neighborhoods. This is unlike ever before, what we’re dealing with right now.”

On Maui, where the Lahaina fire occurred, the police department is enhancing patrols and offering cash rewards for information on illegal fireworks that lead to prosecution.

In a state isolated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it’s evident the fireworks are being smuggled through the Islands’ ports. Last year, 13,000 pounds of illegal fireworks worth approximately $2.7 million were found at the Port of Honolulu by the U.S. Coast Guard. The fireworks were sent back to the continental U.S. to be destroyed, the Coast Guard announced.

But with an estimated 200,000 cargo containers coming into the state every year from other U.S. ports, it’s been a “financially and logistically difficult” task to locate all of them, according to a 2019 report. Aside from the lack of manpower, the report also found there are legal hurdles to maneuver and a need for better technology.

This year, the state is trying something new. An Illegal Fireworks Task Force was established under Act 67 in June, and it operates through the state’s Department of Law Enforcement. The task force received a budget of $1.25 million, and will be using the 2019 report to develop a comprehensive plan of action.

“DLE is working collaboratively with its federal, state and local law enforcement partners, as well with industry partners and the community to stop the distribution of illegal fireworks,” Jordan Lowe, director of the Department of Law Enforcement, told SFGATE.

In just the past five months, the task force has already seized 35,000 pounds of fireworks. Then on Dec. 20, the DLE seized 16 tons of illegal fireworks inside a shipping container. It contained multishot “cakes” that can launch multiple fireworks in the air.

“We hope that through cooperative efforts such as this, the community may soon enjoy the peace and quiet of nighttime without the unsettling noise of illegal fireworks,” said Lowe.