State Fire Marshal Dan Wood says the number of licenses approved by his office to sell consumer fireworks was down this year.
“We are at 550 for 2020, in 2019 we had 621. In 2018 — it was our high year — we had 891. And in 2017, our first year, we had 674,” according to Wood. He says the pandemic is the likely reason for the drop.
“I would say one of the reasons we are down is probably the COVID. I know there was also some question about the availability of product — so that would have something to do with it also,” Wood says.
His office issues the licenses and inspects the places where the fireworks are sold. The rules regarding the use of fireworks is left up to local leaders.
“Each local jurisdiction has the ability to set their own hours and dates accordingly. And some don’t and some do,” Wood says.
Consumer fireworks can be sold from June 1st through July 8th.
(Photo from the State Fire Marshal’s website)