Independence Day is next weekend, but the weekend before can also be a big time for fireworks purchases.
And those lighting fireworks this year need to be especially careful. Western North Dakota has been experiencing drought-like conditions since December of last year, and fireworks could be just the thing to set something on fire.
“Right now we do have green grass thankfully, however, if you look in your lawn you might see that there’s also some dead grass intermingled in within it. Some places still have the dead vegetation from last year that are there, so if you do light off fireworks it’s really important that you keep a bucket of water nearby because we do have that dead vegetation. So there’s a chance that you will get a wildland fire start from a spark,” said North Dakota Forest Service Public Information Officer Aubrey Davis.
According to drought.gov, 52% of the state is in a moderate drought, while certain sections of Burleigh, Morton and Oliver counties are in severe drought.
You can also keep up with burn bans and other fire related topics at NDresponse.gov.
