SALT LAKE CITY — Police say the Fourth of July fireworks ban did not stop everyone from lighting fireworks, but early signs show it may have helped keep the holiday weekend manageable.
The Salt Lake City Police Department said officers issued one citation tied to fireworks over the weekend. Sgt. Greg Wilking said the department saw a noticeable drop in fireworks-related calls and did not see the kind of problems some may have expected under the ban.
“One citation tells me that we had a really good weekend,” Wilking said. “We asked for the public’s help on the fireworks, and I think the public responded and we did well. We didn’t have any fires. We didn’t have people getting hurt. It was a good weekend.”
The ban was in place during one of the busiest fireworks weekends of the year, even as fireworks remained for sale at stands across the Salt Lake Valley. Last week, workers at one Salt Lake City fireworks stand said customers were asking whether they could still buy fireworks and where they could legally use them.
WATCH: Questions about ban popping at stands more than fireworks sales
Outside Salt Lake City, Unified Police confirmed officers made one fireworks-related arrest in Midvale. Sgt. Aymee Race said officers had already responded to the location and warned people not to light fireworks.
“They agreed,” Race said. “Shortly after, additional fireworks did get lit off and an arrest was made.”
Race said officers were mainly focused on education, but said enforcement becomes necessary when people ignore warnings and put others at risk.
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Even with the arrest, Race said the weekend felt quieter than usual.
“I think that just goes to show what a great community Salt Lake is,” Race said. “It’s just great to see that us as a community banded together and kept one another safe.”
The Fourth of July ban is now over, but personal fireworks aren't allowed until July 22, per state law. Then, the window for legal fireworks is the 22nd through the 25th from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (extended to midnight on Pioneer Day).
Still, officials say the fire danger has not gone away. With Pioneer Day less than three weeks away, police say they will continue watching conditions before any decision is made about whether restrictions should be in place then, too.
Wilking said that will depend on what happens with the weather and fire conditions in the coming weeks.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” he said.
