The Fourth of July festivities have been cut in many states due to the continuing threat of coronaviruses, but the National Fireworks Association says that record numbers of people are buying fireworks for personal use.
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Some fireworks vendors report an increase in sales of 200 to 300 percent, CNBC reported.
The pandemic, still raging, has convinced many people to stay home for the holiday weekend. Officials in some states have canceled the fireworks to avoid attracting large crowds of viewers who could spread the virus.
In this July 4, 2013 file photo, people watch fireworks explode overhead during the Fourth of July celebration at Pioneer Park in Prescott, Arizona. For many Americans, the Fourth of July will not be about big holidays but about lighting fireworks. . (AP Photo / Julie Jacobson, file)
Many people are buying their own fireworks, some for the first time.
“We are seeing new customers … who generally don’t come to fireworks stores,” Robert Fletcher of Desert Sky Fireworks, a chain of stores in Arizona, told The Associated Press.
But an anticipated increase in the private use of fireworks has raised public safety officials’ concerns about the increased likelihood of accidents and fires.
In Ontario, California, a man in his 30s had his left hand blown off Thursday while lighting illegal fireworks, police said. He turned on an aerial device but did not immediately turn off, it only detonated after approaching, authorities said.
Lost limbs and fingers are a common occurrence during the July 4 festivities due to fireworks misuse, authorities said.
Dr. Erin Miller, a hand surgeon at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, told the AP that she amputated 42 fingers due to fireworks injuries on the last Independence Day.
Health experts urge people not to use larger and more powerful fireworks like mortars and cherry bombs, and to refrain from lighting fireworks under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
In this July 2, 2013 file photo, a family buys fireworks at a TNT Fireworks booth in Monterey Park, California. With fewer professional celebrations on July 4, 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, many Americans are forced to shoot off fireworks in backyards and at block parties. And they already are: sales have been booming. (AP Photo / Nick Ut, file)
The National Fireworks Association reports that people have a sober “designated shooter” in charge of the colorful displays.
Some cities have received more complaints of illegal fireworks this summer than in previous years.
An illegal sale operation at a private residence was stopped in Phoenix, Arizona, after police seized nearly 4,000 pounds of banned fireworks this week. The state struggles with dangerous and destructive wildfires each year, and thousands of residents petitioned for fireworks to be banned due to their propensity to start widespread house fires.
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The AP contributed to this report.
