Historic drought in the West sparks July 4 fireworks fears
SALT LAKE CITY — Many Americans aching for normalcy as pandemic restrictions end are looking forward to traditional Fourth of July fireworks. But with a historic drought in the West and fears of another devastating wildfire season, officials are canceling displays, passing bans on setting off fireworks or begging for caution.
Fireworks already have caused a few small wildfires. Last year, a pyrotechnic device designed for a baby’s gender reveal celebration sparked a California blaze that killed a firefighter during a U.S. wildfire season that scorched the second-highest amount of land in nearly 40 years.
Some regions of the West are experiencing their worst drought conditions in more than a century this year, said Jennifer Balch, director of Earth Lab at the University of Colorado. People setting off fireworks at home is a concern because of both the tinder-box conditions ripe for starting wildfires and the threat of injuries.
“As a fire scientist, I’m bracing myself for this fire season because of how dry and hot it is already,” Balch said. “I think fireworks right now are a terrible idea.”
Michele Steinberg with the National Fire Protection Association pointed to federal data showing
15,600 Americans went to emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries last year, thousands more than the year before.
“I love watching the fireworks displays, but they’re honestly not safe in consumer hands,” she said. “Even a sparkler can get up to 1,200 degrees, which is actually how hot a wildfire burns.”
Fireworks industry professionals, who also stressed caution in drought-prone areas, expect strong sales despite a shortage caused by pandemic-related manufacturing slowdowns and trade disruptions.
“We think we’re going to have a tremendous year,” said James Fuller, a fireworks safety expert with Alabamabased TNT Fireworks.
While fireworks are integral to the country’s Independence Day celebrations, they ignite thousands of fires a year — including one that burned Bobbie Uno’s home in Clearfield, Utah, on the
holiday last year. She had to jump out of the way before it struck the side of her house.
“Within five seconds, my house, from the bushes to the rooftop, it was burning,” Uno said.
The blaze caused $60,000 in damage and forced her family out of their home for weeks. “I want everyone to be aware of the danger, because it’s scary even in a small cul-de-sac,” Uno said.
Several Utah cities are banning people from setting off their own fireworks this year during the record drought, but many Republicans are against a statewide prohibition.
GOP Salt Lake County Councilwoman Aimee Winder Newton supports restrictions but thinks this year is a bad time for a blanket ban.
“We’re just coming out of this pandemic where people already felt like government was restricting them in so many ways,” she said.