Fireworks, drought make a dangerous combination
By TOM BERRY
Staff Writer
If you plan on celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks, county and city fire officials are advising that you do so as safe as possible.
There is always the danger that someone could get severely burned or otherwise injured by using fireworks in the best of conditions, but with most of the state of Kentucky under severe drought conditions the danger is much greater.
A loose Roman candle, sparkler or firecracker could lead to an even greater threat to personal or public safety. So Calloway County Fire-Rescue Chief Greg Cherry is cautioning everyone that it is better to be safe than sorry.
“Use caution. Be careful,” he said. “The dry weather that we're having can be dangerous if you get any flame too close to dry materials. There's a very high potential for wheat fields, grass and other things to catch fire and burn.
“If we don't get some significant rainfall soon, we discourage anybody from shooting any fireworks.”
Murray Fire Chief Michael Skinner said he would rather people enjoy the Freedom Fest fireworks display Sunday night and not shoot their own. But since many will still shoot off fireworks on the Fourth, he advises extra precaution.
“Of course you are going to have family members that like to do their own thing with fireworks, but the main thing that we're looking at is they need to be safe,” Skinner said, noting extra precautions with eye protection and to check for cracks, defective fuses, leaks and other dangers.
For complete story, see today's Ledger & Times
Story created Jun 28, 2007 - 11:37:24 EDT.
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