Firework sales are booming; safety officials warn of fire risks

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — With many community fireworks shows canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans are planning their own displays this year. People have been shopping for fireworks for home celebrations in record numbers.

Safety officials are concerned there will be a spike in fireworks injuries this summer.

“We can’t keep up with the inventory,” Candice Bryant, manager of Phantom Fireworks store in St. Augustine, Florida, told local news station Action News Jax. “We’ve seen a lot more business than we were anticipating. I know everyone is changing their plans [since city organizers are] not showing off their fireworks, so they want to do their own fireworks in their own backyard.”

Bryant credits the pandemic for the increase.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 10,000 people were treated in the emergency room for fireworks-related injuries last year, and 12 people also died.

If you plan to use fireworks, the Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends the following:

• Never let young children play or light fireworks, including sparklers. They can burn at 2,000 degrees.
• Never try to relight or pick up malfunctioning fireworks.
• Have a bucket of water or hose nearby just in case.

Officials also say before setting off fireworks in your backyard, check out your local fireworks ordinance.

Some states have passed laws legalizing the use of fireworks on the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve.

Cox Media Group