MIAMI – Miami-Dade Fire Rescue officials conducted sweeps of fireworks vendors ahead of the Fourth of July holiday to ensure they aren’t selling dangerous or improperly packaged fireworks.

“(We’re) making sure all the packaging is intact, there (are) no fireworks that could harm anybody, any of the consumers buying these fireworks,” Ozzy Norat, an MDFR fire safety specialist, said. “You generally don’t want to be buying fireworks from just anyone on the side of the road.”

One vendor welcomed the inspection.

“I’m just playing by the rules,” Chris Pouridas, a franchisee at Champion Fireworks said. “I don’t want to get shut down and also my main priority is that everybody’s safe.”

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Norat said common violations include anything from broken packages to expired fireworks.

While officials would rather residents leave fireworks to professionals, MDFR provided plenty of safety tips for those who choose to participate:

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Saira Anwer joined the Local 10 News team in July 2018. Saira is two-time Emmy-nominated reporter and comes to South Florida from Madison, Wisconsin, where she was working as a reporter and anchor.

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