The State Fire Marshal is urging North Carolinians to avoid setting off fireworks at home during Fourth of July celebrations as extreme drought conditions create a heightened fire risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every year, fireworks cause thousands of injuries nationwide, often occurring during at-home celebrations with family and friends. Burns to the hands, face, and eyes are among the most common injuries treated in emergency rooms during the Independence Day holiday.<\/p>\n
State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor says most injuries are the result of people not knowing or ignoring a product\u2019s limitations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSome people want to make it bigger and better, and some of the devices, like using PVC pipe to detonate it and send it as an aerial device,\u201d Taylor told WRAL. \u201cThat can be very dangerous, because it can explode.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, the concern stretches beyond what can happen to our bodies.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drought conditions are much higher than what they have been in the past, so that’s a great concern across the state,\u201d says Taylor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the latest drought status released this week<\/a>, seven percent of the state is still under exceptional drought \u2013 the highest category. Parts of the Triangle are included in that “exceptional” drought area, which WRAL meteorologists say hasn’t happened in 18 years. It\u2019s the perfect condition for a single spark to cause a potentially devastating fire, and it is why Taylor says it\u2019s best to just leave fireworks to the pros.\u00a0<\/p>\n