It may not be popular to say this, but Utahns ought to cut out private fireworks displays on this year’s Fourth and 24th of July celebrations. Let’s find safer ways to celebrate in a drought-stricken desert.
The numbers make the argument more eloquently than we can. According to the Utah Fire Information homepage, the tinder-dry state has already seen 344 fires this season, burning 78,310 acres. Of those, 261 were caused by humans.
Outlaw fireworks?
Gov. Spencer Cox has said he lacks the power to declare private fireworks outlawed for this season, which comes during an extreme drought, but that he wishes he could. He has said this in previous years as well, noting that state lawmakers have little interest in imposing a ban.
“We desperately need every Utahn, every visitor to be thinking about wildfire safety,” the governor said just before the Memorial Day holiday this year. Indeed, that is the state’s only hope for a fire-free July.
Earlier this week, Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill announced that charges were being filed against a 43-year-old man for allegedly starting a fire in Memory Grove Park near the state Capitol.
The message was that those who start fires will be prosecuted and held accountable. That’s a good message. A good companion to that would be a statewide ban on all fireworks, other than those conducted by professionals under government supervision in public displays.
Common sense
People who live in a tinderbox shouldn’t play with matches, and Utah is far too dry and combustible right now to play with fire. That’s common sense.
It is ironic that Massachusetts, a state with an average rainfall of 47.88 inches, outlaws all forms of private fireworks while much of rain-starved Utah allows them. Massachusetts has a tradition of liberal government that tends toward controlling human behaviors. Utah has a history of supporting personal freedoms, but there are limits where health and safety risks are concerned. Much of Utah is listed as being in extreme drought. The populated Wasatch Front is in a severe drought category. A suspension of private fireworks this year would serve personal freedom, not inhibit it.
Utah’s list of areas where fireworks are prohibited is a patchwork of confusing local ordinances difficult both for residents to understand and law enforcement to patrol. The Unified Fire Authority website provides detailed maps of these restrictions. In some neighborhoods, houses where private fireworks are legal are surrounded by parks where they are not.
Current fires
Much of Utah is already ablaze. Smoke fills many valleys, making breathing difficult for people with fragile health.
In recent days, the town of Eureka in Juab County was evacuated as the Iron Fire near there continued to grow. Officials said the fire had approached the doors of several houses, but that none had succumbed to the blaze yet. KSL reported the fire was human-caused.
Meanwhile, residents near Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Canyon were told earlier this week to be prepared for a possible evacuation. In Tooele County, firefighters were battling the Hastings Fire, which by Monday had grown to 6,000 acres. Fortunately, no structures were endangered.
Near Huntsville, a human-caused fire grew to more than 300 acres earlier this week. No structures were endangered there, either.
The list is constantly changing.
These fires have consequences for Utah’s economy and tourism, as well as for health and safety. Utah is known for its outdoor recreation offerings, but too often visitors to the state are told to stay away from scenic areas because of fire and smoke. The last thing the state needs is to see more such fires due to holiday fireworks being handled carelessly.
Celebrating the 250th
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Defenders of backyard displays often quote John Adams, who wrote to his wife on the day of the nation’s independence. He said he believed that, forevermore, Independence Day “ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.”
He did not say Americans should endanger their neighbors in the drought-stricken West with illuminations that belie common sense.
We encourage all Americans to joyously celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday. The United States remains the world’s best hope for freedom and liberty, and that is indeed worth an energetic party. But please do not ignore the unusually dry conditions that exist in Utah and the growing scarcity of water. Do not wait for your city or county to restrict fireworks before you insert caution and common sense into your own way of marking the holiday.