EVANSTON, Wyo. — Extreme fire conditions in the Intermountain West have forced one Wyoming city, famous for its fireworks, to ban shooting them into the sky.
A firework sparked a 75-acre blaze that almost burned two homes in Evanston.
“People were coming out of the woodwork and grabbing garden hoses,” said Uinta County, Wyoming Fire Warden Eric Quinney. “Construction companies were offering graders and road equipment to help cut fire lines.”
Quinney reports an early fire season for western Wyoming due to excessive dry brush and high winds. On Wednesday, the Fourth of July, authorities banned fireworks there indefinitely.
“The last time that happened was 30 years ago,” Quinney said. “It would be nice to go another 30 before we have to do it again.”
In 1988, the Yellowstone fires consumed 1240 square miles.
