OGDEN — Fireworks are banned east of Harrison Boulevard and along the Ogden and Weber river parkways again this year as severe droughts and high fire danger persist in Utah.
In 2021, Ogden banned fireworks citywide due to extreme risk, but this year’s conditions are deemed a little less severe, so the partial ban was passed by the fire marshal.
“We’re feeling the humidity level of spring and later summer” called for relatively measured restrictions this year, Deputy Fire Chief Mike Slater said Monday.
But he warned that a series of storms a few weeks ago spurred the growth of grasses, which are now parched. “It’s an extra layer of fuel for fires,” he said.
Fireworks are also prohibited in Fort Buenaventura, the city’s baseball and dog parks off Avenue A, and all open fields, vacant lots, wooded areas, and brush-covered hills. from the city.
The Weber Fire District said fireworks are limited to the North Ogden and Pleasant View foothills and most of the upper Ogden Valley. Fireworks are never permitted on US Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management lands, or in national parks.
There have been 245 wildfires, burning more than 5,200 acres, in the state so far this year, according to UtahFireInfo. Nearly 85% of fires were caused by humans.
According to state law, fireworks can be sold this year from June 24 through July 25. They can only be unloaded from July 2 to July 5 and from July 22 to 25. Additional periods of permitted sale and use of fireworks occur around New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year.
On July dates, fireworks can be set off from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., but they are allowed until midnight on July 4 and 24.
“We appreciate our community being responsible for the fireworks,” Slater said. “When there’s a big fire, it takes a lot of resources, and it’s been a busy year already.”
Water use by fire departments is also an issue during prolonged drought. Slater said depending on the size of a fire and the depth of the dry fuels, firefighters can put 10,000 to 1 million gallons on it.
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