Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
AMERICAN FORK — It’s beginning to look a lot like Independence Day, with fireworks stands popping up everywhere you go. Fire officials have a few reminders before people light the fuse, though.
While fireworks can legally be sold now, they cannot be ignited until July 2.
That hasn’t stopped people from stocking up, according to Rachael Pankratz, who works at the Wild Wolf fireworks stand in American Fork.
“You can have lots of fun with your friends. You can invite people over to shows, and yeah, it’s just a fun opportunity to get people together,” Pankratz said.
She said there’s a wide selection that customers are looking at.
“You know, they really have been interested in more than novelties, but we’ve had a couple of customers in here for the aerials as well – so the smaller and larger (fireworks),” she added.
Local fire marshals have cautioned residents to take precautions while enjoying those fireworks. In particular, keep fireworks away from children until it’s time to ignite them, and keep a close eye on them when you are lighting them off to prevent injuries.
“Most of the (injuries) we see are little kids. Everybody loves to play with sparklers, but they burn at 1,200 degrees, and that doesn’t take very much to get a real serious burn,” said Lt. Jason Turner with the American Fork Fire Department.
The tall, green grass has grown more than normal due to the wet spring, and firefighters fear that has created a false sense of security this year.
“(The question is) how fast that dries out, and we’re worried about it being too dry and catching on fire,” he said.
Common sense with fireworks, firefighters said, will help you to enjoy the holiday.
“We recommend that you light it, run away, and we say always have a bucket of water or hoses close by, so if something does go wrong, you can put out a little fire,” Turner said.
You can legally ignite fireworks beginning on Tuesday, but you have to be finished by 11 p.m. that night. On the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day, the 24th, the firework deadline extends until midnight, and you can use your fireworks one day after each of those holidays.
