FIREWORKS, CONTINUED DRY CONDITIONS SPARK WILDFIRE CONCERNS

LUFKIN – Scattered rain showers across the state have done little to dampen concerns about the use of fireworks this July Fourth holiday.

“We’re optimistic,” Bobby Young, associate director of Forest Resource Protection with the Texas Forest Service, says of the recent rains. “But we also realize that we’re not out of the woods by any means. By the Fourth of July it (rainfall) may all be gone, so we’re concerned.”

Much of the state remains gripped by drought, and wildfire conditions remain high across most of West and Central Texas.

The “fire siege of 1996” has claimed more than 500,000 acres so far this year. In East Texas alone, more than 65,000 acres have been charred through May — about 3.5 times more than was lost in all of 1995. And drought has dried up thousands more.

It would be “tragic” to lose any more Texas land to something like fireworks, Young says.

In an attempt to prevent fireworks-related wildfires, several counties in the Panhandle recently banned the sale, use and possession of fireworks. Other counties and cities across the state also are considering similar action. Young hopes those local officials will first gather input from their local fire departments about the situation and how they feel about the fire danger.

Gray County turned to the governor’s office for help earlier this month. County officials asked for and were granted an executive order banning the use and sale of fireworks from Gov. George W. Bush because of the drought and extreme fire hazard there.

But, the governor’s office is urging other counties planning similar action to use the provisions of a new state law, HB 828, which allows counties to limit the use and sale of certain aerial fireworks during times of drought, provided the county designates a safe area where such fireworks can be used.

The Texas Pyrotechnic Association, which represents most of the fireworks industry in the state, has voluntarily banned the sale of aerial fireworks such as bottle rockets.

Professional displays aren’t affected.

So, Young encourages Texans to enjoy such organized shows that are put on for the Fourth of July.

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