(July 4th, 2008)—Fireworks are a fact of life this time or year, and so are the fires that some of the pyrotechnics ignite.

"We expect a fire at any time and we're always ready for that," said Assistant Waco Fire Chief Chris Pachacek.

The hot and dry conditions don't make the holiday weekend any easier and the weather puts firefighters at an even greater risk.

"Typically when it's hotter we have our guys hydrate themselves. We're worried about our own safety as well as the citizens," Pachacek said.

Area firefighters responded Friday to a series of mostly small grassfires, at least one of which was reportedly ignited by fireworks.

Firefighters also stand by as professional pyrotechnicians light up the sky with fireworks as Central Texas communities celebrate the Fourth of July, but the experts also go through a number of safety checks too while setting up for the shows.

"Safety really has to be in the forefront and the Texas Department of Insurance as well as the National Fire Protection Association mandates a certain distance that we have to be," said Collins Martin, the pyrotechnic operator for Friday night’s fireworks show in Waco.

The distance between the pyrotechnics and the spectators is based on the number and size of fireworks that are going to be used.

Friday’s show in downtown Waco requires that spectators stay more than 400 feet away and there has to be 600 feet between the fireworks and any school, nursing home, or hospital.

[More Local And State News]
[More National News]
[More Business News]
[Latest Religion News]
[Latest Health News]
[Latest Entertainment News]
[OffBeat News]
[News From Our Town]
[Latest Soldier Stories]
[Sports]
[Weather]
[Blogs]





Save some money! Save a tree! Click here to get your morning news delivered directly to your email