AZ officials caution public to skip setting off fireworks as wildfire risk is high

Lux Butler, Arizona Republic
·2 min read

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management urged residents to put away the fireworks this Fourth of July as wildfire danger remains high.

Fireworks have been known to start wildfires and with nearly 8,500 acres of Arizona desert still ablaze the week of July 4th officials will be on high alert.

Fireworks have been proven to be an ignition source for fires on our lands, just like 2020’s 259-acre Stage Fire northwest of New River, officials said.

"We want the public to understand the threat, make good choices, and if possible, partake in alternative Fourth of July activities. Our prevention staff will be out patrolling over the next few days and into the weekend ensuring everyone is recreating safely and abiding by restrictions,” said Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Prevention Division Chief, Aaron Casem in a statement.

Thompson Begay looks over the selection of fireworks at a Red Hot Fireworks stand in Gilbert on Thursday, June 26, 2014. The stand, at the corner of Lindsay and Baseline roads, opened Thursday and expects to be completely sold out by July 4.
Thompson Begay looks over the selection of fireworks at a Red Hot Fireworks stand in Gilbert on Thursday, June 26, 2014. The stand, at the corner of Lindsay and Baseline roads, opened Thursday and expects to be completely sold out by July 4.

The Department of Forestry and Fire Management also warns that prevention patrols will be conducted in areas like Pinal County, Wittmann, along State Route 74, the Interstate 17 corridor, and around the US 60 near Apache Junction and Gold Canyon.

To support the additional patrols the Department of Forestry and Fire Management has increased staffing levels for the end of the week and into the weekend, as well as a six-engine task force stationed in the Phoenix-area.

Residents are advised that under Arizona state law specifies that only certain types of fireworks are legal on the Fourth of July. Firecrackers, bottle and sky rockets, roman candles, and any type of aerial firework are illegal in Arizona.

Stage 1 fire restrictions, due to fire activity, resource availability, and firefighter and public safety concerns, remain in place across most of Arizona on State Trust lands. On State Trust lands, fireworks are never allowed regardless of restrictions.

Between Jan. 1 and July 2, 2023, 793 fires burned 48,376 acres of Arizona land, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: State officials call for firework safety ahead of July 4