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Dry Spell Sparks Added Concern With Fireworks

freeimages.com/Daniel Carter

Fire officials issue safety warnings every Fourth of July, but they say there is added concern this year because of the unusually dry weather in recent weeks.

Henrietta Fire Chief Jim Comstock is especially worried about sky lanterns, which are made of paper and have a small fire suspended at the base.  They are only legal in New York if they are constantly attended.          

"Which would typically mean that they have to be anchored or tethered to the ground where they're being used,” Comstock said. “They're going to pose a real problem this year, because if they fly off to who knows where and end up in a field that's very dry, I'm sure we're going to have some fires."

Comstock said most people think sparklers are innocuous, but he has seen as many or more injuries caused by sparklers than any other type of fireworks, especially in small children.

"Those sparklers, when they're burning, are burning at 2,000 degrees. A lot of times we're seeing injuries not necessarily when the child is using it, but at the end when they pick up the hot metal rod, they're getting burned that way."

Most fireworks are illegal for personal use in New York State, but two years ago, the state authorized cities and counties outside of New York City to legalize sparklers and certain sparkling devices for people over 18.

Among the counties that have legalized sparklers locally are Wayne, Ontario, Yates, and Steuben.

Beth Adams joined WXXI as host of Morning Edition in 2012 after a more than two-decade radio career. She was the longtime host of the WHAM Morning News in Rochester. Her career also took her from radio stations in Elmira, New York, to Miami, Florida.