The Fourth of July holiday is right around the corner, meaning fireworks, sparklers, smoke bombs and more will be all around the Naperville area.
But the Naperville Fire Department reminds residents about the dangers of these devices, especially with the recent weather.
“The biggest thing we see is sometimes when the weather has been dry like it has been recently, you get fires, whether it’s mulch fire or brush fire,” said Division Chief at the Naperville Fire Department Scott Salela. “Also, you can get a house that’ll catch on fire from fireworks landing on a roof.”
The Fourth of July weekend is always one of the busiest for fire departments around the country.
“There’s almost 20,000 fires reported annually and almost 10,000 injuries reported,” Salela said.
Even sparklers have dangers
In Illinois, fireworks, including firecrackers, Roman candles, and bottle rockets, are all illegal. However, novelty items like smoke bombs, party poppers, snake or glow worm pellets, and sparklers are permitted.
But those aren’t without their dangers. According to the National Fire Protection Association, sparklers account for roughly one-quarter of emergency room firework injuries. The Fire Department recommends having a bucket of water nearby to extinguish sparklers, or any other devices properly.
“A sparkler can burn at up to 1,200 degrees,” said Salela. “And to give you an idea (of) how hot that is, glass can melt at 900 degrees. So sparklers are dangerous, and they should not be given to small kids to run around.”
Where is Naperville’s fireworks display?
Salela says the best way to avoid injuries is to “leave it to the professionals.”
“Go to a show whether it’s Naperville or another town if you’re out of town on vacation,” said Salela. “Find a local fireworks show that’s done by professionals and that’s safe.”
This year’s fireworks display will be held at Frontier Sports Complex, located at 3380 Cedar Glade Drive. The show begins at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4.
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