ARLINGTON, Va. — Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, fire officials in Arlington County are reminding people to celebrate safely.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission's latest annual fireworks report estimates 9,700 people went to an emergency room for injuries related to fireworks nationwide, and eight people died. The report also found there’s been a significant increase in fireworks-related injuries from 2008 to 2023. The report states there has been an increase of about 561 injuries each year.
Captain Nathaniel Hiner with the Arlington County Fire Department says his office sees hundreds of calls during the Independence Day holiday.
"Around the Fourth of July, the department gets a lot of calls for the sound of illegal fireworks. We get sent out a lot of times for things that are exploding in the air, things that are letting off a large amount of flame or a large amount of spark, and of course in Arlington county those are illegal," Hiner said.
In Arlington County, the only type of legal firework is sparklers, but Hiner warns those can be dangerous, too.
"Sparklers are some of the kids favorite fireworks on the Fourth of July. Those burn upwards of 2,000 degrees, so imagine a spark landing on a child’s arm and the amount of pain and damage that can cause," Hiner said.
"You always see an influx in injuries related to fireworks as well as fires that are directly caused by either the improper use or improper discarding of fireworks related material," Hiner added. "Anything that flies in the air, omits a large flame or explodes is illegal, and in fact, it is punishable as a class one misdemeanor."
Hiner says if you are going to ignore all advice and warnings and set off fireworks yourself, make sure you have a bucket of water or hose nearby, and soak the fireworks thoroughly before putting them in the trashcan.
Possession of illegal fireworks is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, which has a maximum punishment of a $2,500 fine and/or one year in jail.
"We get a lot of calls for fireworks that are going off upwards of a hundred to 200 calls just for the sound of loud fireworks. Obviously, there’s not enough fire marshals and law enforcement to go out there and handle all of those, so the department prioritizes any sort of activity that involves fireworks that leads to an injury or leads to property damage," Hiner said.
Hiner also said it is important to stay hydrated and keep an eye on those more prone to heat injury.
RELATED: DC task force cracks down on illegal fireworks after massive apartment fire days before July Fourth
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