While the tradition remains popular, local fire officials are reminding residents that safety should come first.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the New Year approaches, many families are preparing to ring it in with fireworks.
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While the tradition remains popular, local fire officials are reminding residents that safety should come first.
Annaville Fire Department Capt. Christopher Glass said that while families who are legally allowed to use fireworks should enjoy them, they also need to be mindful of the risks involved.
“Bottle rockets, they sometimes shoot up in the sky and do their nice pop and firework in the sky, but they tend to leave embers inside and they land on the ground and then they’ll start the ground fires,” Glass said.
Glass said fewer restrictions do not mean fewer precautions and stressed that residents should take extra responsibility when handling fireworks.
“We’re covering a big area all the way from here all the way out to the London area. No ban on fireworks, no aerial fireworks and there’s also no ban on burning. So we don’t have no burn ban in effect,” he said.
Fire officials say those conditions are especially important to consider following a recent cold front that brought lower temperatures and strong winds.
“Cold fronts push in, they push out a lot of the moisture. With the combination of low humidity levels, high winds and just warmer temperatures tend to cause higher risks and possible chance of fires,” Glass said.
Meanwhile, fireworks vendors say business has been steady as families prepare for New Year’s celebrations.
For Tobias Martin with Mr. W’s Fireworks, the days leading up to the holiday have been busy, with many customers shopping at the last minute.
“We’ve seen probably close to 100 families so far,” Martin said. “We’re going to be pretty busy, especially with people getting off from work, a lot more influx of people, stuff like that.”