In light of current drought conditions and wildfires, Utah officials and firefighters are asking people to skip using personal fireworks this year.
According to Gov. Spencer Cox, the entire state is in some form of a drought and 83% of the state is experiencing “extreme” drought conditions. On top of that, the amount of wildfires have been on a rapid increase and have been keeping crews busy.
With the Fourth of July approaching, Utah officials are asking people to completely skip over the usage of fireworks to prevent sparking any more issues.
Brian Steed, Executive Director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources, explains that windy days that are hot and dry are perfect conditions for a catastrophic set of circumstances. In other words, using fireworks could set off a certain spark that could lead to further fires.
Cities throughout Utah have already started enacting restrictions including South Jordan. Mayor Dawn Ramsey says that nearly half the city of South Jordan is already under restrictions.
Of course, Utah law doesn’t allow cities or the state to fully ban fireworks, but communities can enact those stricter restrictions and officials are hoping that people do the right thing moving forward.
