LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California official is seeking federal help in stopping an influx of illegal fireworks. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger outlined the concerns in letters to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The letters released Tuesday emphasized the potential for fireworks to cause wildfires in drought-stricken California.

Widespread use of illegal fireworks has surged beyond the Fourth of July. On March 16, an illegal stockpile of fireworks blew up in the city of Ontario, killing two men and forcing evacuation of a wide area so that unexploded items could be gathered and destroyed.