Some cities nix July 4 fireworks for shortages, fire dangers
PHOENIX » The skies over a scattering of Western U.S. cities will stay dark for the third consecutive Fourth of July as some major fireworks displays are canceled again this year — some over wildfire concerns amid dry weather and others because of enduring pandemic-related staffing and supply chain issues.
Phoenix canceled its three major Independence Day displays because it couldn’t obtain professional-grade fireworks. Shows in several other cities around Phoenix are still on.
“Unless you’re in a really remote area where that was the only show, most people will be able to find a show nearby,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.
Overseas shipping, transportation in the U.S., rising insurance costs and labor shortages have led to the canceled displays, along with demand for fireworks shows at concerts, sports stadiums and the Fourth of July holiday that largely were absent during the first two years of the pandemic, Heckman said.
“The demand is so high that it’s almost like a perfect storm,” Heckman said, adding that not having enough crew to work the shows or rental trucks to transport materials have added to the crunch.
China produces most of the professional-grade fireworks that shoot up into the air and produce colorful, dazzling bursts in various shapes. The shortage doesn’t lie in manufacturing, Heckman said, but in congestion at U.S. ports.
Heckman said some companies recently chartered about a dozen vessels, each carrying 200-250 containers of consumer-grade fireworks that are considered hazardous material, and shipped them to ports in Alabama and Louisiana to free up space at ports on the West Coast.
Other cities around the country are halting the displays because of the threat of wildfire. Flagstaff in northern Arizona will carry out its annual Independence Day parade through the city’s historic downtown, but a new laser light show will replace the standard pyrotechnic display.
Three large wildfires skirted the mountainous city this spring alone, prompting hundreds of people to evacuate, closing down a major highway and destroying some homes.
“The decision was made early because we wanted people to be able to make plans with their families,” said Flagstaff city spokesperson Sarah Langley.