American’s love of fireworks has many emergency response agencies worried over the increased risk of wildfires this holiday weekend.
Eric Wise is a meteorologist for the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center based in Portland. He said there are thunderstorms expected between today and the Fourth of July in Oregon and Washington. With a spike already projected in human-caused fires tied to pyrotechnics, this forecast troubles firefighters.
“So we are concerned that with the lightning already starting things, the addition of ramped-up human starts will definitely be of concern," Wise told KLCC. "So we urge folks to be very careful, and especially the fireworks, which I think we’ll have a hard time talking people out of their fireworks, but certainly the conditions are ripe to get a fire started.”
People are urged to refrain from lighting fireworks, especially in drought-ravaged areas. Many cities have banned or limited their sale and use through Independence Day.
Copyright 2021, KLCC.
