That means fireworks season is once again upon the Wasatch Front. Starting Saturday, fireworks will once again be on sale. And while this year’s celebration season catches the region in much better shape drought-wise than it was in 2022, officials say there’s still safety items to keep in mind this summer.

David Reed of the Weber Fire District told the Standard-Examiner that the area is not restricted by weather this year.

“So far, for July 4, we are not anticipating any restrictions in any of the fire district’s six cities or unincorporated county,” he said. “With the wet spring, high waters and high fuel moistures in the the plants, the forester and the wardens in this area have decided that July 4 is not a high enough risk to have any restrictions in place.”

In Ogden, fire marshal Kevin Brown confirmed this to also be the case, but said restrictions could be added later in the month.

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

“I think they’ll be restricted by the 24th,” he said. “We’re seeing a change in the weather now where we’re going to go to the hotter, more typical July weather. It will not take long for those light fuels to dry out, and once we get that hot weather, we’ll dry out for sure by the 24th.”

Should this happen, large swathes of east Ogden along the mountains and along the Ogden and Weber rivers would be restricted areas for shooting off fireworks.

In North Ogden, the city’s Facebook page announced that fireworks are restricted on all areas north of 3300 North and east of Mountain Road.

Reed said buying fireworks at a reputable retailer in Utah is the best way to know that they are legal.

“The rule of thumb is if you can buy them in Utah, legally, and you shoot them according to the instructions, they are legal,” he said. “You can not go to Wyoming, buy fireworks and bring them back to Utah.”

He also had several tips for staying safe during the Fourth of July and Pioneer Day holidays, including:

• Shoot fireworks responsibly. If you see someone shooting irresponsibly, call dispatch.
• Have a bucket of water on hand. When done with fireworks and they’ve cooled off, dump them in the bucket and keep it away from houses or other structures before disposing of them properly.
• Sparklers are not toys. Children using them must be closely supervised.
• For multi-shot aerial fireworks, use something nonflammable to keep them stable, such as cinder blocks, and keep them on flat land.

In Utah, class C fireworks may be sold June 24 through July 25. They will be available for purchase again Dec. 29-31. Discharge is allowed between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. July 2-5 with hours extended to midnight on July 4. Times are the same July 22-25 with Pioneer Day (July 24) also having hours extended to midnight.

For more information, visit https://firemarshal.utah.gov/fireworks/.