SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City is swapping out booming fireworks for zooming drones this year.
They kicked off the first show Saturday night, flying 150 drones at more than 400 feet above the ground.
“It’s more important than ever that we’re taking into consideration the impacts that we have on our air quality,” said Lynze Twede, an events manager for Salt Lake City Public Lands.
READ: Where to see fireworks and celebrate Fourth of July in Utah
Twede said that while it’s more expensive than fireworks, there are important reasons for the switch, like the environment and the loud booming noises that fireworks set off.
“They're so much more inclusive to everyone. Maybe folks who suffer from PTSD or families who have dogs. Salt Lake City has more households with dogs than we do with kids," Twede said.
Capt. Chad Jepperson with the Salt Lake City Fire Department says it’s a busy weekend for firefighters responding to several fires.
“The heat is coming down, as it is today, and it's going to get continually hotter. These fireworks sometimes can be erratic and they can ignite brush and trees and other things that are nearby that are flammable," he said.
Jepperson says if you plan to set off fireworks to first check if you’re in an area that’s legal to do so, and to have a bucket of water on hand to soak the fireworks in after they’re set off instead of putting them in the trash.
In addition, the window to set off personal fireworks in Utah doesn't start until Sunday at 11 a.m. Click HERE for a full list of times and links to restricted areas.
“They might start up again in your garbage, which in turn lights up a house fire. And then these gentlemen are called to go to action and that's what we don't want to happed,” said Jepperson. “We want to avoid that as much as possible.”
