KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The hot and dry conditions have firefighters reminding the public about the dangers of fireworks, and are asking everybody to be cautious over the Fourth of July holiday.
On Friday, the City of North Kansas City cancelled a fireworks display scheduled for Saturday night as part of the of the city’s centennial celebrations, citing the area’s drought-like conditions, while firefighters in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday put out a grass fire they think was caused by fireworks.
Despite the fire, KCK and other metro cities that allow firework sales have not yet banned them – but officials are warning residents about using common-sense safety precautions. In Riverside, home to several firework retailers, firework seller Nancy Blogin says that despite the dry conditions, her products aren’t fire hazards if buyers use some common sense.
“Be sure you water your lawns down, not just the day of, but for two-three days prior to,” said Blogin, who is also president of the National Council on Firework Safety. She says that she tells customers to consider where they plan to shoot off their fireworks before they buy.
“People who have a very small lawn, who have a very small area to shoot in, we recommend things that stay very low to the ground – not something that’s going to go over into their neighbor’s lawn,” said Blogin.
As dry as conditions are across the metro, it’s still not enough for the National Weather Service to issue a Red Flag Warning, which is only issued when humidity levels drop below 25 percent with sustained winds of 15-20 miles per hour.
According to Riverside assistant fire marshal Keith Payne, a Red Flag Warning is about the only reason they would ban fireworks in Riverside – and that’s unlikely before July 4th. Still, he urges caution for those using fireworks.
“The biggest thing is if you’re going to light fireworks, make sure you have a garden hose or a bucket of water close,” said Payne.
