Fireworks Warnings Ahead of the 4th of July

It’s the weekend before the 4th of July, and that means we’re about to see a lot of fireworks lighting up the sky. Anyone over eighteen can stop at a fireworks store and pick up the essentials like sparklers and fountains – but Division Chief of Fire Prevention Troy Haase says “starting from small firecrackers and up are not allowed. And from anything that leaves the ground – bottle rockets – anything that shoots up in the air is against the law. So if you do any of those things you take the chance of receiving a fine if somebody complains.”

Haase tells us your chances of getting a permit are slim to none, because “we don’t issue permits to anybody shooting fireworks unless they’re a professional pyrotechnic and they have insurance and all that. Like for example, the Fourth of July Fireworks – that’s the only permit in the whole City of Fond du Lac that we put out for fireworks.  So anyone out that’s launching anything, they’re doing it illegally.”

The fines for shooting off illegal fireworks in the city range anywhere from $5 to $5,000.