Public safety crews in Southern Colorado are gearing up for this Independence Day weekend. As KRCC’s Tucker Hampson reports, that includes being on the lookout for illegal fireworks.
Recent wet weather means Colorado Springs is bringing back its annual fireworks display, but hot and dry weather is in the forecast.
Colorado Springs Deputy Fire Marshal Kris Cooper says that means fire danger is still a reality.
"We have had some cooler temperatures and moisture, which has been good," says Cooper, "however, that’s allowed a lot of the grasses to grow taller, and the weather forecast for the forth is expected to be hot and dry and it doesn’t really take much time to dry out those grasses and create a fire risk."
Cooper says they’re stepping up patrols in the city.
In Pueblo, Fire Chief Dale Villers says they’re doing much the same:
"We’re doing the same thing we do every 4th of July, we’ll put on extra crew during the peak time periods, so in case there’s any problems we’ll have more people available on the streets."
Damage caused from illegal fireworks in Colorado Springs or Pueblo is considered a crime of arson, and possession, sale, and use of fireworks in either city can result in a mandatory court date as well as potential fines and jail time.
