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MAY 11-13
PAGE 4
MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012
SAFETY
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Fireworks spark deadly wildfire fears
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A fireworks display for the Fourth of July, put on by the Colorado Rockies baseball club, lights up the night sky over Coors Field in Denver, Saturday, June 30, 2012.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Drought and wildfire fears are snuffing out some Fourth of July festivities this year.
From Utah to Indiana, state and local governments are calling off annual fireworks displays out of fear that a stray rocket could ignite tinder-dry brush and trigger a wildfire. They're also warning residents not to use fireworks, sparklers or Roman candles in backyards.
The worry is especially acute in the West, where crews are already battling out-of-control blazes in several states. Parts of the Midwest are affected, too, after weeks without any significant rain.
"We usually have a fireworks barge and a huge gala that attracts thousands of people" said Bill Appleby of the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, which represents the lakeside resort town about 90 miles northwest of Denver in the Rocky Mountains. The display is usually safe out on the water, but "we just can't risk an errant ember."
It's not uncommon for communities to delay or cancel fireworks shows because of drought conditions, but this year, the practice is more widespread.
Last year, about a third of the country was in drought. Now nearly three-quarters is, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map, a weekly analysis of dryness across the nation. The parched conditions have been aggravated by a dry, mild winter and abovenormal temperatures.
Fires have charred more than 1.8 million acres this year in the U.S., and much of Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana have been under red-flag warnings for extreme fire danger.
In Colorado, where hundreds of homes have been destroyed by flames in the past month, firefighters have said they don't have the time or resources to stand watch over public events. At least nine public fireworks displays have been called off.
Montana hasn't called for an end to big displays yet, but Gov. Brian Schweitzer is urging people not to set off their own fireworks and has left the door open to canceling public shows.
Officials have also canceled displays or issued warnings restricting private fireworks in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Utah and Wisconsin.
"Nobody wants to not have fireworks," said Chris Magnuson of Albion, Ind., a town of about 2,300 that postponed its annual July 4 fireworks show to Labor Day weekend after
county officials banned outdoor burning. "It's just not safe enough."
Fireworks were blamed for more than 15,500 blazes and $36 million in property damage in 2010, according to the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass.
Leaders of the fireworks industry, which brought in nearly $1 billion in sales nationally in 2011, question whether firework bans are legal. Steve Graves, executive director of the Indiana Fireworks Association, said people should be given credit for common sense.
Indiana law allows fireworks from June 29 to July 9 regardless of whether local burn bans are in place. Some communities have declared drought disaster emergencies to enact bans in an attempt to get around the law.
"Instead of talking about safety, they decided to treat Hoosiers like they're a bunch of idiots that can't think for themselves," Graves said.
At the TNT Fireworks stand just outside Helena, Mont, some customers planned to heed the calls to keep their fireworks under wraps for July Fourth, said stand co-owner Anna Richards.
"Would I rather make money or would I rather see Montana burn?" Richards said. "There's more to life than these two weeks."
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Victims visit damaged regions
President Barack Obama visits with firefighters at the Mountain Shadows neighborhood damaged by the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs, Colo., Friday, June 29, 2012.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — People who fled the most destructive fire in Colorado's history are being allowed temporary visits to the most devastated neighborhoods, and many will find that their homes were among the nearly 350 burned to the ground.
About 10,000 people remain evacuated, down from more than 30,000 at the peak of the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, but authorities said Sunday morning they hoped to lift more evacuation orders later in the day.
The 26-square-mile fire was 45 percent contained as of Sunday morning. It was one of many burning across the West, including eight in Utah and a fast-growing blaze in Montana that forced residents in several small communities to leave.
Rich Harvey, incident commander for the Waldo Creek blaze, said crews
continue to make good progress.
"We're cautiously optimistic," he said Sunday morning. "We still remain focused on things that could go wrong."
On Sunday people whose homes were burned were allowed to tour the affected areas. Authorities said some
residences would be cordoned off with police tape, and people would not be allowed beyond that point.
About 1,500 personnel were fighting the Waldo Canyon fire, and authorities said they were confident they had built good fire lines in many areas to stop flames from spreading.
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