Handle with care: Fireworks could fuel fires
As triple-digit temperatures dry out the north state for the July Fourth weekend, local fire officials are reminding everyone of local fireworks laws.
Temperatures should hit 102 degrees today and stay at that level through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. That means dry grass will get even drier, supplying plenty of fuel for fires.
Even though Shasta County saw rainfall Tuesday the area had already dried out pretty well before that and even after, said Linda Galvan, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"It dried out pretty quick," Galvan said.
Any wind accelerates that drying, she said.
Fireworks are illegal in Shasta County and anyone caught with fireworks faces a fine of up to $1,000, fire officials said.
On top of that, anyone who sparks a blaze with fireworks — even accidentally — will be billed for the cost of fire suppression, Galvan said.
That suppression can cost thousands of dollars and even more depending on the size of the blaze and how many units are dispatched, she said. An air tanker, for example, could add $5,000 to a suppression bill.
On July Fourth last year Redding firefighters dealt with a small spot blaze sparked by fireworks near Orchard Supply Hardware on South Street. Five days later a child playing with fireworks sparked a quarter-acre blaze behind the Enterprise High School baseball field.
Fireworks are legal in Tehama County and are sold at countless stands throughout the county, said Kevin Colburn, spokesman for the Tehama-Glenn Cal Fire unit. Despite that, people should still take extra care when dealing with fireworks.
The dealers are closely inspected by the county fire marshal to ensure they're selling only state-approved fireworks, Colburn said.
But, Galvan said, anyone who makes the quick jump over the county line to buy from legal stands in Cottonwood will still be held accountable should they bring fireworks into Shasta County.
"It's not on the sellers," she said. Galvan encourages everyone to go to one of many public fireworks displays throughout the weekend and not risk starting a fire or risking injury with at-home fireworks.
"We're just trying to save lives, save homes and save property," she said.
Source: http://www.redding.com/news/2011/jul/01/handle-with-care/
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