LOGAN – The Logan City Council has approved guidelines for the sale and use of fireworks during the upcoming Independence Day and Pioneer Day holidays.
During their regular meeting Tuesday, Fire Chief Brad Hannig told counsel members that, despite Utah’s historic drought conditions, this year’s fireworks guidelines were basically similar to those from previous years.
Under guidelines spelled out in City Ordinance 21-24, vendors may sell Class C fireworks to the general public in the city of Logan between June 24 and July 25.
Class C fireworks include igniters, fuses and “common” fireworks. They are considered low explosives and suitable for private use, being generally smaller than more powerful Class B fireworks, which are used in commercial and public displays.
Since July 4 falls on a Sunday this year, most local municipalities will observe Independence Day on Monday, July 5 with their usual public fireworks displays.
Pioneer Day falls on a Saturday.
City residents may discharge privately purchased fireworks between the hours of 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. from July 2 to July 5 and July 22 to July 25. Hannig also noted that discharge hours would be extended to midnight on July 4 and July 24.
But the discharge of fireworks will be generally prohibited outside of the city’s developed neighborhoods.
Those prohibited areas include the city’s east bench (east of 1600 East and east of Gibbons Parkway, including the north and south slopes of the island area); the Gravel Pit Closure (a rectangular area bounded by 1200 East, 1000 North, 1400 East and 1200 North); the West Closure (the area west of 600 West to the city boundary); the North Closure (generally the area around the Logan Airport).
Hannig said the Logan Police Department will enforce those prohibitions to reduce the threat of wildfires due to the unsafe discharge of fireworks.
State officials say that 90 percent of Utah’s land area is already experiencing extreme drought conditions that could easily result in uncontrolled wildfires. Gov. Spencer Cox declared a state of emergency due to the statewide drought conditions in mid-March.