With wildfires raging, officials fear fireworks danger ahead of July 4

Deadly wildfires raging across western states have prompted fire officials to ask patriotic Americans to pause before lighting fireworks this year.

This Independence Day will see record-setting fireworks displays for America's 250th anniversary celebration, according to industry experts, but hot, dry conditions across states including California, Colorado and Utah have firefighters on edge.

An unusually dry and hot winter has created dangerously flammable conditions in forests and grasslands across the West.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on June 25 issued a rare statewide executive order allowing communities to restrict consumer fireworks, although commercial displays are still permitted.

"Nothing about this decision was easy," Cox said in announcing the order. "Utahns love celebrating the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks. I do, too. But this year is different. We are seeing fire behavior that even our most experienced firefighters say they've never witnessed before."

Three wildland firefighters died June 27 battling a blaze on the Colorado-Utah border. Across the West, dozens of wildfires are burning or are just now being brought under control, many of them sparked by lightning. Officials said activities connected to people ‒ from fireworks to carelessly discarded cigarettes ‒ have sparked 75% of wildfires in Utah in 2026.

Fireworks spark tens of thousands of wildfires across the United States each year, causing deaths, injuries and millions of dollars in property damage. 

Some cities in Colorado, including the mountain resort of Vail, have already cancelled their professional Independence Day fireworks displays. In Aspen, fireworks are being replaced by a drone show. Colorado already restricts most consumer fireworks to sparklers and popper-style firecrackers that stay on the ground. Other states implemented restrictions earlier in the year, including New Mexico, which banned many consumer fireworks in April.

In California, state Fire Marshal Dan Berlant said Cal Fire inspectors have been monitoring fireworks purchases across the state. Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards. Berlant urged fireworks users to be mindful of their decisions to set off any fireworks, legal or not.

In general, only consumer-grade fireworks that remain on the ground can be certified as "safe and sane" in California. Berlant said inspectors typically seize about 250,000 pounds of illegal fireworks annually, but confiscated 1 million pounds last year. He said many illegal fireworks should properly be classified as explosives.

California has strict fireworks laws because of the combination of fire danger and population, Berlant said. He said firefighters have already responded to more than a dozen firework-sparked fires in June.

"It may be a sign of what is to come here this Fourth of July," he said. "It's not about the small fireworks. It's about these illegal items that light up the sky as we approach the Fourth."

In Utah, Riverton City Council member Andy Pierucci told the Deseret News he suspects some of his constituents will ignore the governor's restrictions: 

“The Fourth of July is a holiday where our ancestors thumbed their noses at government," he said. "It’s kind of a joke to assume people are not going to once again thumb their noses at government and light off fireworks to celebrate."

Nationally, fireworks retailers are seeing strong sales, said Julie Heckman, the executive director of the North Carolina-based American Pyrotechnics Association, with "unprecedented" excitement surrounding the 250th. The high volume of sales, she added, indicates many people are first-time buyers.

Consumers should buy fireworks from locally licensed vendors, keep water or a fire extinguisher handy, and launch from pavement like a driveway or cul-de-sac, if they're going to set them off at home, Heckman said. If there's any fire risk, she said, commercial displays can fill that patriotic need.

Fire departments have also partnered with the APA to hand out buckets so consumer fireworks users can douse used fireworks, reducing the risk of accidental fires.

"Responsible fireworks use begins with understanding the local conditions," Heckman said. "It's not the time to celebrate with backyard fireworks if there's a drought or a local burn ban."

Heckman said Americans should be prepared to be wowed by the commercial displays, from the National Mall in Washington to San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Fireworks sales last year hit about $2.5 billion nationally, according to the APA, which expects this year to easily exceed that.

"Every display nationwide is going to be bigger, better and more elaborate," Heckman said. "For the fireworks industry, it's going to be a blockbuster year."

In South Dakota, despite wildfire concerns, preparations continue for a massive July 3 fireworks display over Mount Rushmore National Memorial. President Donald Trump will headline the daylong celebration, capped off with what organizers promise will be a memorable fireworks show. Park officials routinely held fireworks displays in the early 2000s, but halted them in part because of wildfire fears. In 2020, then-Gov. Kristi Noem hosted Trump for a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore despite wildfire concerns.

The area around Mount Rushmore is in "severe" or "extreme" drought, according to the official U.S. Drought Monitor. Department of Interior officials did not immediately respond to a question about plans for the Mount Rushmore display.

In preparing for the 2020 display, National Park Service officials noted that previous fireworks shows at Mount Rushmore – which is surrounded by pine trees – sparked at least 20 fires over the years.