July 3rd, 2012
04:31 PM ET

As temperatures sizzle, fireworks are even more risky

With wildly high temperatures, wicked weather and wildfires across the country, there are more warnings than usual posted about fireworks safety this year. In addition to harming themselves, people are also in danger of lighting up their entire neighborhoods.

"What people don’t realize is while they’re setting off fireworks and sparklers in this hot, dry heat or wind, that fires can move very quickly, putting their neighborhood directly in threat," said Mike Apicello, a spokesman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

"Look for open, wide spaces to ignite fireworks, and stay away from fire fuels such as grass, which in this type of heat, cure out really fast. And with the high winds, all it takes is an ignition, even in an urban environment. A bottle rocket on a shake roof would ignite a fire very rapidly.

"Our fire resources are going to be very busy across the nation this July Fourth, so please use caution," he said.

In the event of high winds, drifting embers can easily start a fire, so if it's too windy for you to safely ignite, it's best to set the sparklers aside for another day.

Apicello advises checking locally before you do anything, adding that fireworks are not allowed in national parks.

After all, fireworks aren't legal everywhere. CNN Radio reports in this podcast about where you can and can't ignite them.

Each year, more than 100 fireworks-related injuries are reported to hospitals, according to the National Council on Fireworks Safety.

Last year alone, 65% of those injuries happened, not surprisingly, during the 30 days around the Fourth of July, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported.

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