Thousands take in the Newport Dunes Independence Day fireworks display

The Independence Day fireworks show sponsored by the city of Newport Beach returned with a bang — a spectacular display on Sunday night.

The Newport Dunes Waterfront extravaganza with approximately 4,500 attendees began at 9 p.m. It lasted 20 minutes, but the preparation took weeks.

The Independence Day celebration ended with a fireworks extravaganza at the Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort in Newport Beach, on Sunday.

(Susan Hoffman)

Without the Newport Beach Fire Department there would be no show. Michael Pasmant, life safety specialist 1 and James Gillespie, fire analyst, were the firemen in charge of the launch of explosives.

“It’s amazing to be able to have control over an explosive capable of producing such a beautiful spectacle,” said Pasmant.

The two firemen inspect all things safety throughout the day, such as establishing mortar stability, authenticating California Fire Marshall safety seal, verifying the size of product not to exceed 5 inches and proportion of tubes to shells. And when the show ends, their work continues.

Newport Beach firemen Michael Pasmant, left and James Gillespie inspect mortars with operator in charge, Craig Cauthen, center, as pyrotechnic, Marco Polo, far left, loads product into tubes at the Newport Dunes Resort on Sunday.

(Susan Hoffman)

“We make sure everything is detonated or properly dispersed of before we allow the crowd to disperse,” explained Gillespie.

According to operator in charge, Craig Cauthen of Pyro Spectaculars, the 592 mortars went off in a sphere shape of 360 degrees, the highest reaching 500 feet and visible for miles.

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