Daniel Walton, Tooele County fire warden, left, listens as Gov. Spencer Cox, right, speaks during a fire safety press conference near the Jacob City Fire near Stockton, Tooele County, on Monday July 11, 2022, as a helicopter behind them picks up water to fight the fire. (Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox is begging Utahns not to use personal fireworks this Pioneer Day holiday.
“We are in extreme drought right now,” Cox said to Utah’s Morning News host, Amanda Dickson. “We’re begging people not to do personal fireworks.”
Cox used his own family as an example, and said they have chosen not to do personal fireworks this year.
Another suggestion from the governor is to attend one of the many professional fireworks shows being put on to celebrate Pioneer Day this weekend.
If you decide that you’d like to light off fireworks of your own this year, there are safety precautions that the governor asks you to take.
“Make sure you have a hose and a bucket of water right next to you. Make sure you’re not lighting them off near any dry grass or trees, shrubs or brush,” the governor said.
Even things that look green are dryer than you think right now and could catch on fire very quickly.”
There are multiple areas across the state where officials have banned the use of fireworks. The governor said it’s important to realize that, if you decide to do your own fireworks show.
“Fireworks are illegal on state lands, on federal lands. They’re also illegal in many parts of many cities. You have to check and make sure you’re in a legal area.”
The webpage offered by your county will have that information.
Firefighters have been busy this summer, with over 300 human-caused fires. And it’s expected to be scorching hot on Friday. The high could reach 103 degrees.
Utah has been in the path of monsoonal moisture, and in some cases the rain has been helpful for firefighters currently battling a number of wildfires in Utah.
“But that only lasts for a day or two and then things are just as dry as they were before,” Gov. Cox said.
Firefighters battling the Halfway Hill fire near Fillmore, Utah, echoed the governor’s sentiments in an update earlier this week. The Great Basin Type Two Incident Management team said that the monsoonal moisture was effective at dampening the fire in the lower elevations. But the rain was stopped in the higher elevations of the fire due to the tree canopy.
Simone Seikaly contributed to this article.