Fire officials from several local jurisdictions joined together Tuesday to send a strong message that all fireworks are illegal in the many nearby areas.
For everyone’s safety, the officials urged residents to attend professional events like county-run displays.
To prove their point, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel lit a powerful M-80 firecracker next to a watermelon. It instantly shattered into many small pieces. They also lit sparklers on mannequins to show how quickly a person could get burned.
The news conference was sponsored by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments with fire officials from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the District of Columbia and Arlington, Va.
According to Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley, a basic sparkler can reach a temperature of 1,200 degrees, which is hot enough to melt metal.
Fire calls greatly increase during the week surrounding July 4, with multiple calls to transport people to the emergency room following a fireworks mishap, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Pete Piringer.
Illegal fireworks in the county include:
Firecrackers, sparklers, cherry bombs, black cats, M-80s, crackling balls, smoke bombs, Roman candles, bottle rockets, skyrockets, helicopter type rockets, spinning wheels and any firework shot from a mortar tube. Use of these items can result in heavy fines if reported.
