Don’t Set Off Fireworks At Home
Police, other officials will patrol neighborhoods, looking for offenders
Don’t try this at home. That’s the message when it comes to fireworks this holiday.
Professionals will offer public displays this Fourth of July, but anyone at home lighting anything more dramatic than a sparkler could be in violation of fire restrictions from the local to federal level.
Santa Fe police, fire inspectors, parking and land use officers will be patrolling neighborhoods over the holiday looking for open burning and fireworks, according to city fire officials. People who get caught could be looking at a $500 fine or 90 days in jail.
And they’re not doing it to dampen the Independence Day spirit — they’re trying to prevent fires as the region experiences bone-dry conditions, according to city fire marshal Reynaldo Gonzales. The half-hour rainfall on Sunday didn’t help much, he said.
“We’re in a severe drought condition,” he said. “With all the dead brush and no rain, pretty much everything out there is an ignition source. It takes very little.”
Fire Chief Barbara Salas said there were about 125 fireworks calls last year; between five to 10 people were cited, she said. There were no fires caused during the holiday last year, when the region also experienced very dry conditions.
Salas urged people instead to go see the city’s fireworks display between 6 and 10 p.m. Wednesday, set off from the stadium at Santa Fe High School. Los Alamos’ annual display at Overlook Park has been canceled for July 4th, but will be rescheduled for a later date, according to a news release.
People will have a hard time creating the same experience at home, given the restrictions.
Banned from use in Santa Fe are all fireworks, which include firecrackers, Roman candles, cone-shaped fountains, bottle rockets or, generally,
anything that flies above 15 feet from the ground or produces a report by an explosion or detonation, according to guidelines from the city.
Safe fireworks don’t self propel, or have a report. They include snakes, smoke devices, sparklers or cylindrical fountains.
In addition to the fireworks ban, open burning, smoking in public parks or the use of motorized vehicles in cityowned public parks or trails are also banned.
Santa Fe County deputies also will be on the lookout for people violating the county’s restrictions against fireworks, according to a notice from the Sheriff’s Department. The county’s ban covers similar fireworks as the city’s, but added that legal fireworks must be used on a paved or barren spot of land with water nearby. Use of all fireworks on county wild lands is banned.
Charcoal barbecuing at home is allowed in the city, provided it’s monitored by someone who has fire-extinguishing equipment such as a garden hose on hand.
The city restrictions mirror restrictions on state and federal lands.
Smoking, fireworks, campfires and open burning are all prohibited on state lands. However, people can grill at a private residence if they have a way to put out a fire should it get out of hand, according to a current fire restrictions from the State Forestry Division.
Dan Ware, State Forestry fire prevention and outreach coordinator, said in addition to steep fines and up to a year in jail for violators, someone who actually causes a fire can be liable to pay for the cost of fire suppression. Of 691 fires in the state since July last year, about 287 were caused by people, according to Ware.
“In our mind, it’s not quite worth it to take a chance,” Ware said.
Restrictions at Santa Fe and Carson national forests prohibit campfires, charcoal, coal or wood-stove fires. Stoves that use petroleum, lanterns or heating devices are allowed, but in Carson, propane stoves must be used in developed camp grounds. Fireworks, smoking and explosives are all prohibited.