Officials considering state-wide fireworks ban this year

Our recent string of dry weather could have an impact on the way we celebrate the Fourth of July. The State Fire Marshal says the dry weather conditions could make fireworks even more dangerous this season, and is considering a state-wide ban on consumer fireworks.

Several communities in Michigan have already banned them, though none of the bans are in the immediate metro Detroit area.

On average, June is usually our wettest month. But this month, we're about two inches behind on our rainfall. Looking back. Memorial Day weekend was the last time metro Detroit saw good rain.

The FOX 2 Weather Authority team says the last time it was this dry was in June of 2012. This month, we've had 1.30" total rain, but our normal rainfall for this month is typically around 3.30".

Legally, the days to fire these off are the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday coming up. We spoke with Tiffany, who works at a fireworks tent on Telegraph in Southfield who offered some simple tips regardless of if there's a ban or not.

"The best thing to do is just try to put yourself in an open area, away from trees, grass, things like that," she says. "If for some reason you can't and you're in a neighborhood, just be aware of your surroundings."

She suggests moistening your ground with a sprinkler or hose during the day so it won't be as dry come nighttime when you light the fireworks off.

While she may take a hit in profits this season, she still believes she'll be selling plenty of fireworks.

"People are pretty comfortable with fireworks nowadays; it's not a brand new thing," she says.

FOX 2's Roop Raj spoke with the governor's office, who says as of this hour the ban on consumer fireworks has not been passed. The State Fire Marshal will have the final say.

Read more at: http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/167299011-story