02.16.2026 | 9:30 PM | SANTA ANA – Illegal fireworks marked Lunar New Year celebrations despite the rain, Monday night.
The festivities outside a buddhist temple in the 4900 block of Westminster Avenue began Monday night as revelers celebrated the year of the Fire Horse.
As is tradition, participants lit firecrackers and other large-scale commercial fireworks in order to ward off evil spirits along a stretch of road closed for the special occasion.
The fireworks continued until about midnight when police moved in to reopen the roadway as heavy rains and lightning blanketed the area.
At one point firefighters responded to the scene to extinguish a pile if debris from the illegal fireworks that began to smolder.
No injuries were reported and crews were on scene working to clean up trash from the celebrations.
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