SALT LAKE CITY — It appears a lot of Utahns heeded warnings about drought and wildfire risk and decided to skip personal fireworks for the Fourth of July weekend.
State officials reported no major wildfires over the three day weekend. For that, Governor Spencer Cox's office said, they were grateful.
"We’re so grateful that many Utahns chose to forgo personal fireworks this weekend. We hope that continues through the July 24 holiday," said Jennifer Napier-Pearce, the governor's communications director.
Faced with a drought emergency and the risk of catastrophic wildfires, Gov. Cox, city leaders and firefighters pleaded with Utahns to not do personal fireworks this year. Some cities banned fireworks outright, while others severely restricted them (there is a dispute over interpretation of state law and how cities can enact bans).
Gov. Cox said if he could ban fireworks this year, he would. Republican leadership in the Utah State Legislature refused to call a special session to do it, instead urging Utahns to follow local restrictions.
