(Seguin) — Local fire officials are reminding you to be safe if you plan to ring in the new year using fireworks.
Guadalupe County Fire Marshal Patrick Pinder says there are a number of things that you need to consider before purchasing and using fireworks.
“Make sure when you’re buying fireworks, you’re buying them from a licensed retail vendor. You’re not just buying them from some resident or something on Facebook. You also want to make sure that when you’re handling fireworks, you’re doing it safely. When you light a firework, you want to make sure that you get safely away from it. If it doesn’t go off, we want to make sure that you don’t try to walk back up and relight that firework. Just let that thing sit for a little bit, because you have to remember, some of these fireworks sit in these stands for extended periods of time, and they don’t sell them from the last season — they’re still in the stand. So you don’t know how old they are. And make sure you’re doing them in a clear, open area and not around high grass. We’ve had the burn ban on for a while. We did ban the sticks-and-fins type of fireworks, so you won’t be able to get the bottle rockets and some of the aerial fireworks that you’re usually seeing in the stand. Just make sure you’re being safe and always have some water available just in case that firework gets out of control. And when you’re done shooting the fireworks, just let it sit there a little bit before you put it in the trash can, because we’ve seen that where they’ve caught trash cans on fire and caused more damage,” said Pinder.
Conditions remain very dry across the area, and Pinder warns that people need to be mindful of where and how they are using their fireworks.
“You want to make sure that you’re in a clear, open area. You want to make sure you’re not around tall grass. And check your wind speeds, because if you’re out in the rural areas, sometimes that wind is a little higher. And if you shoot one of those aerial fireworks up, you think it’s just going to go right there. Well, if you’ve got a hay bale next door or a hay field or any kind of grass that’s dry already, you can catch a field on fire pretty quickly. The other thing you want to make sure of is that you keep an eye on your pets. My dog doesn’t like fireworks, so if I try to light a firework off in my front yard, the dog’s going to try to either run after the firework or take off running. So just make sure you’re keeping all animals away and small children supervised. Make sure they’re not lighting the fireworks without supervision,” said Pinder.
Fireworks can be used in the more rural parts of Guadalupe County, and aerial fireworks, like bottle rockets, should not be used. The possession and use of fireworks inside local city limits is strictly prohibited, and those who violate those rules could face stiff fines.