Park City bans fireworks use due to dry conditions


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PARK CITY — Tuesday is the first day fireworks can be setoff in the state, but they're not allowed in all cities.

Park City leaders have banned fireworks within city limits. The combination of low humidity and dry conditions make the potential fire danger too high.

"All it takes is one spark, one mistake, and we could have a terrible mess," said Hugh Daniels, Emergency Manager with Park City Municipal Corporations.

Daniels said a small fire in high winds and low humidity could turn into a huge problem within 10 to 15 minutes.

Class 'C' fireworks are prohibited, which include any fireworks that can be purchased legally, exept for sparklers. Prohibited fireworks include firecrackers, cannon crackers, salutes, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, skyrockets, roman candles, arial fireworks, chasers and whistlers.

"I think that's a smart thing. It's just a dry place," said resident Dave Zur.

Daniels said that Park City has never had a large fire where fireworks were the cause. However, last August a group of kids started a small fire while playing with fireworks.

"Firefighters were quick to put it out, but it could have easily spread to those homes across the way," Daniels said.

Park City residents don't seem too upset about the restrictions.

"Oh, everybody is totally concerned," said resident Jill Taylor.

Before setting off fireworks, check for restrictions in your area, as each city has a separate ordinance. It's also illegal to setoff fireworks on state and federal land. If convicted, violators could face a $5,000 fine.

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Devon Dolan

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