BETHESDA, Md. — How have you been sleeping lately?
In D.C., and around the country, thousands of people say their dreams have been disrupted not just by the pandemic, but by the flash and bang of fireworks.
The explosion of pyrotechnics has been sudden, non-stop, and hard to explain in some communities.
In D.C., some of the fireworks have been set off at protests near the White House. At times, the sparkle of fireworks has mixed with the chemical canisters set off by police.
Petworth residents, in particular, have complained on social media that fireworks have been going off for weeks. A D.C. fire spokesman said medics took one man to the hospital on Saturday with second-degree burns to both hands.
Fairfax County investigators said two bad house fires in the last few months were set off by improperly stored fireworks.
But local fire officials said so far, we're nowhere near as sleepless as Baltimore or Los Angeles, where one neighbor said, "There's no peace. It's every night."
New York, especially Brooklyn, has been particularly hard hit.
"It's 3 a.m., you're waking up to a big explosion," said one man.
"He used to sleep on his own," said a dad out on a walk with his crying baby.
"Some are firecrackers, some sound like bombs," anther man complained.
Harlem police are now offering a $2,500 reward for tips that help them find the man who tossed fireworks on a sleeping homeless person, after video was posted on social media. Detectives said the victim survived with minor injuries.
Mayor Bill DiBlasio (D-N.Y.) is promising a crackdown on fireworks suppliers.
"Cutting it off at the knees," Diblasio said.
But that only came after angry New Yorkers led a honking car parade past his house in the middle of the night
Experts are unsure what has led to the upsurge in people setting off fireworks. Some may be connected to the protests, while others may simply be people tired of being cooped up in their homes.
In D.C., any fireworks that move, shoot off or explode are illegal. In Montgomery and Prince George's counties, all fireworks are banned.
Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said they usually tell people to go see a public display instead. But this year, many of those are canceled.
A National Park Service spokesperson said the fireworks on the National Mall are still a go, despite the pandemic.
Local fire officials said enforcing fireworks laws is up to the police. In Brooklyn, the borough president is urging officers to try to cajole people to stop... Arresting them, he said, might be too heavy-handed.