The BulleTin • Tuesday, June 29, 2021 A3
LOCAL, STATE & REGION
JULY 4 FIREWORKS
Drought woes in dry
U.S. West raise fears
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST
The Associated Press
S
ALT 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 U.S.
West and fears of another dev-
astating wildfire season, of-
ficials are canceling displays,
passing bans on setting off fire-
works or begging for caution.
Fireworks already have
caused a few small wildfires, in-
cluding one started by a child in
northern Utah and another in
central California. Last year, a
pyrotechnic device designed for
a baby’s gender reveal celebra-
tion sparked a California blaze
that killed a firefighter during
a wildfire season that scorched
the second-highest amount of
land in nearly 40 years.
Some regions of the Ameri-
can 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 in-
juries. Last year, injuries spiked
to their highest level in 15 years
after the pandemic canceled
large gatherings, federal data
shows.
“As a fire scientist, I’m brac-
ing myself for this fire season
because of how dry and hot it
is already,” Balch said. “I think
fireworks right now are a terri-
ble idea.”
Fireworks industry profes-
sionals, who also stressed cau-
tion in drought-prone areas,
expect strong sales despite a
shortage caused by pandem-
ic-related manufacturing slow-
downs and trade disruptions.
“We think we’re going to
have a tremendous year,” said
James Fuller, a fireworks safety
expert with Alabama-based
TNT Fireworks.
While fireworks are inte-
gral to the country’s Indepen-
dence Day celebrations, they
ignite thousands of fires a year
— including one that burned
Bobbie Uno’s home in Clear-
field, 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 fam-
ily 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 ban-
ning 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 Council-
woman Aimee Winder New-
ton supports restrictions but
thinks this year is a bad time
for a blanket ban.
“We’re just coming out of
this pandemic where people al-
ready felt like government was
restricting them in so many
ways,” she said. “When you is-
sue bans arbitrarily, we could
have a situation where people
who weren’t going to light fire-
works purposely go and buy
fireworks to just send a mes-
sage to government.”
State fireworks laws vary
considerably across the U.S.,
but local bans on personal fire-
works are popping up from
Montana to Oregon, which
was stricken by massive wild-
fires last year.
In Arizona, which already is
being scorched by more than
a dozen wildfires, many cities
have canceled their public fire-
works shows.
It’s a similar story in Colo-
rado, where dozens of shows
have been scuttled, including
in Steamboat Springs, a ski
town where firefighters are al-
ready spread thin.
“The grass always catches
on fire. … Why are we do-
ing something that causes fire
when fire’s our biggest issue?”
said Winnie DelliQuadri, town
special projects manager.
But in neighboring Wyo-
ming, business is booming
at fireworks stores, including
sales of products prohibited
elsewhere. The parking lots fill
on weekends, and many cars
have out-of-state plates.
Other cities, including Boise,
Idaho, and Santa Fe, New Mex-
ico, are working to ban per-
sonal fireworks while keeping
their public displays, where
safety precautions are often
stronger and firefighters are
on alert.
In North Dakota, where
more than two-thirds of the
state is in extreme or excep-
tional drought — the two
worst categories — some areas
are passing local bans.
The industry urges people
lighting their own fireworks to
follow local restrictions, pick
a flat location a safe distance
from homes, have a water
source at hand to douse used
products and dispose of them
carefully.
Some safety officials would
rather see people avoid light-
ing their own fireworks all to-
gether. Michele Steinberg with
the National Fire Protection
Association pointed to federal
data showing 15,600 Ameri-
cans went to emergency rooms
for fireworks-related injuries
last year, thousands more than
the year before.
“I love watching the fire-
works displays, but they’re
honestly not safe in consumer
hands,” she said. “Even a spar-
kler can get up to 1,200 de-
grees, which is actually how
hot a wildfire burns.”
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune; Jeffrey D. Allred/The Deseret News
PHOTOS FROM TOP: A sign advertises fireworks Wednesday in Ameri-
can Fork, Utah.
A wildfire on Traverse Mountain in Lehi, Utah, threatens homes in June
2020. Officials said fireworks caused this wildfire.