Men who sold fireworks that started house fire fined $100
Proprietors of a Hoffman Estates convenience store Monday were fined $100 for selling the fireworks with which a 13-year-old boy accidentally started his family's house on fire last month.
Brijish Patel and Nitin Patel were both cited by the village June 18 for the possession and illegal sale of fireworks at the Mom and Pop Deli and Pantry at 1262 Freeman Road.
Both violations carried a penalty of $50.
Their case was heard Monday night by the village's administrative hearing officer and former state Sen. Cheryl Axley.
Axley admonished the two men for attempting to use ignorance of the law as an excuse.
"There are commercials all over the place," she said. "It's for public safety. Lots of kids are maimed every year."
Police said a 13-year-old boy bought sparkler-type fireworks from the store and ignited them behind his home on the 4100 block of Victoria Drive in Hoffman Estates at about 6 p.m. June 18.
The boy then went back inside the otherwise empty house and began playing guitar with a headset on, village fire officials said.
Someone else spotted smoke coming from the home and called 911, while the boy was unaware he'd started the house on fire.
When firefighters arrived, the boy had already been safely escorted out of the house, which had heavy smoke and flames coming from the rear of the attached garage.
Damage to the house, which left it temporarily uninhabitable, was estimated at $75,000.
Hoffman Estates is among the municipalities that ban a wide variety of fireworks, including sparklers, firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets and Roman candles.
At Hoffman Estates' village board meeting Monday, Trustee Cary Collins praised the village for a safe and successful Fourth of July celebration, but added that there's always room for more reminders and greater enforcement of fireworks laws.
"I've known some people who've lost fingers," Collins said. "These are dangerous and they're not good for anyone."
Fined: Home sustained about $75,000 in damages