GASTONIA, N.C. — Residents in Gastonia's Mountain View neighborhood are frightened and frustrated after people lit dozens of fireworks over the July 4th weekend, which damaged cars and homes.
Ebony Smarr's owns one of the damaged vehicles, and she said the people who lit the fireworks next to cars and homes don't live in the area.
"The last three nights been wild," Smarr said. "My kids ain't even been outside, and my kids love outside, but no they ain't been outside."
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Markus Thomas grew up in Mountain View, and he came out to help clean up Monday morning after hearing about the damage.
"To see this man, this is a little heartbreaking and disturbing," Thomas said. "Just because you live in a certain place that they call the hood don't mean you have to act like you in the hood."
Jared Lilly and his friend also came by to help pick up debris. He doesn't live in the neighborhood, but as a member of a nearby church, First Assembly of God, he's part of a group that started volunteering and building relationships with families in the community.
"They usually do a really great job of keeping the place super clean so we were surprised by the extent of it," Lilly said.
Smarr feared people will continue to light fireworks well after the holiday weekend.
"Man, my momma's cousin got shot in my mama's front yard a couple years so fireworks ain't really it," Smarr said. "Firecrackers is not it."
Gastonia Police arrested two people over the weekend for possessing pyrotechnics, which is a misdemeanor.
Contact Brandon Golder at bgoldner@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.