Boulder County may be wetter than usual on July 4, but law enforcement across the county agrees it’s still dangerous to use illegal fireworks.
Many cities, such as Erie, are seeing even fewer complaints about illegal fireworks. Erie spokesperson Amber Luttrell said the department actually dropped from seven complaint calls in 2022 to three this year in the week leading up to the July 4 holiday.
Still, Luttrell cautioned that there are dangers associated with illegal fireworks beyond the potential fire hazard.
“Injuries and structure fires don’t correlate with weather,” Luttrell said. “Fireworks are illegal for more reasons than just lighting grass fires.”
Complaints for Boulder are also lower than usual ahead of the holiday, but Boulder police spokesman Dionne Waugh said that despite the state no longer being in a drought, “fireworks are still illegal in the city of Boulder.”
Longmont didn’t receive its first complaint until Monday, a significant difference after receiving 38 calls between June 27 and June 29 last year.
Dispatch Supervisor Jamie Lamar echoed Waugh and Luttrell’s sentiment about an unusual rainy season that does not weigh on concerns over the use of illegal fireworks.
Lamar added that for the second year in a row, Longmont will provide a hotline for people to report illegal fireworks at 303-774-4371.
Last year, the fireworks hotline handled 271 calls from July 1 to 4, the vast majority of which came in on Independence Day, according to Lamar.
Between June 27 and July 7 last year, zero tickets were issued for illegal fireworks in Longmont. Unless a caller provides the exact address of where the fireworks are being fired, it’s difficult for officers to issue a quote, Lamar said. This year, the fireworks hotline can be reached on 3 and 4 July from 8 p.m. to midnight.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office also reported lower numbers, with just 140 calls for June across all out-bound agencies. While that number is expected to increase, it is still significantly lower than the 205 received last year and the 329 calls in 2021.
Carrie Haverfield, spokesperson for the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, said that while weather conditions currently do not meet the thresholds required for fire restrictions, officers are always concerned about potential fires.
She added that there is also always concern for the safety of those setting off fireworks.
“The fireworks that are illegal in Colorado are often of the type with an increased risk of injury to those who set them off,” Haverfield said. “For all these reasons, we recommend that people leave the fireworks to the professionals and attend a local fireworks show.”
Lafayette is the only city to report seeing a slight increase, with 13 calls last year compared to 16 complaints this year. Brian Rosipajla, deputy chief of Lafayette, said he expects that number to rise closer to fourth, as that’s when the department typically receives the most complaints.
“So far, the calls have been largely in line with last year,” Rosipajla said. “As we know, any type of fire can start at any time, so we want everyone to be safe no matter how much it rains; we want people to be careful.”
Louisville has not received any fireworks calls at all so far. Scott Moore, a Louisville public information officer and crime prevention specialist, said that while it is typical for the city to receive calls leading up to the holiday, no calls had been received as of Wednesday.
Moore attributed that to the conscious concerns of the community.
“If the calls are going to happen, they’ll pick up on the weekend, but I wouldn’t say it’s abnormal not to get so many complaints,” Moore said. “I think our community is very concerned about fireworks use. They take it seriously, so we haven’t experienced any increase in use at all.”
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