SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – Wildlife fires, such as the one seen in Centralville this week, are on fire and Utah is trying to get rid of the fire marshal. While he has plenty of opportunities to light fireworks on Tuesday night and on Pioneer Day, he is trying to make the message behind this badge a firefighter and leave the fireworks display to professionals.
Ensuring fireworks do not turn into wildfires is part of Utah Fire Marshall Ted Black’s work.
“We want people to have a good time, we want them to be respected, but we want them to be safe,” said Ted Black, Utah Fire Marshall.
The message is more important than ever that you should be smart and do not light your own fireworks in most states like “Mega Drought.” He said the drought in Utah is a fire that is easily expected.
“They just want that spark, and we have a wildfire, and it can grow faster than you think,” Black said.
That message was echoed in recent days by Utah Governor Spencer Cox.
“You don’t want to have a good time and then in a few seconds everything goes south. Your house is on fire, your neighbor’s house is on fire, or you start a $ 50 million wildfire, ”said Governor Spencer Cox, (R) Utah.
That fear was very real two years ago in Lehi. A few days before July 4, teenagers set fire to a 500 acre area known as Trares Fire, setting fireworks. Aerial observations show how dangerous the approach to more than two dozen homes, including the Riana Combs, is.
Rihanna Combs, a Lehi resident, said: “It was scary.
Eliminating these fires and others is what the Government Fire Marshall and the Office do every day.
They spend most of their time inspecting things like spraying systems in new commercial buildings, but with a 40-year-old black firefight, it is equally important to save your home from fire.
“I don’t want July 4 or July 24 to be a tragedy for anyone.
He said one of the best ways to keep fireworks out of your home is to listen to your own fire safety.
“If you ask yourself – maybe fireworks may not be a good idea this year, you’ve answered your question. They’re not a good idea this year,” Black said.
He said that if you leave fireworks to professionals, it will improve your chances of avoiding wildfires.
Fire Marshall last year actually responded to a call for people in Utah not to light their own fireworks, indicating a low level of fireworks. He said the number had dropped by 50 percent last year. So, you have opportunities to light fireworks on Tuesday nights, and then around Pioneer Day. The Fire Marshall hopes that someone reading this will now prefer to watch a fireworks display instead of turning it on yourself.
