Cape Girardeau’s fire department is urging residents to be careful with fireworks this Fourth of July season.
Ivan LeGrand is fire department’s fire inspector. He encouraged people to use common sense.
“Use open fields. Stay away from populated areas. If you’re lighting rockets or bottle rockets, they don’t always go out all of the time. That’s what causes fires. That’s why they are banned here in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. If you have a small child, have parental supervision. If in doubt, if it does get dry, have some water available,” LeGrand said.
LeGrand adds that fireworks users should stay away from power lines and shoot fireworks from a level surface. He added that parents should always supervise small children and fireworks.
“A lot of parents, you have the punk, the lighter. They can light them for the child. If they’re a little bit older, the child can do it. But the main thing is that also can be a burn hazard. So you need to use extreme caution when using the punk,” LeGrand said.
Residents can shoot off fireworks between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. from June 27 to July 3. On the Fourth of July, people can shoot off fireworks until midnight.