Fireworks can quickly spark brush fire

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The grass may not be completely dead but it still proved no match for fireworks.

In a firework spark demonstration put on by the Wabash Township Fire Department, we were able to see how real the danger of mixing fireworks and dry conditions is.

Wabash Township Fire Department Public Information Officer Kevin McCombs said low-burning fireworks are just as dangerous as bigger ones.

"With the fountain fireworks, it's going to go out in all directions with the sparks and embers," McCombs said. "So with the wind conditions and the dry grass, if you're going to do it in the grass, it's going to take off pretty quick."

Not only can you start a fire if you decide to light fireworks, despite the burn ban, you could have a run-in with the law.

"If you light fireworks close to a resident or a vehicle, it's going to take off and embers will head those directions. Police officers could be called out as well as the fire department and you could be looking at a warning, a citation, or possibly even jail if you've done it multiple times," McCombs said.

McCombs said he strongly encourages people who think their grass won't cant on fire to follow the burn bans and think about the consequences of lighting off fireworks in such dry conditions.

"A two-dollar firework is not worth one person's life or even your whole house," McCombs said.