HYANNIS – As the Fourth of July holiday weekend grows closer, fire officials across the state are warning residents of the dangers of fireworks.
Fireworks of all kinds, even Class C fireworks such as sparklers and firecrackers, are illegal to use and possess in Massachusetts even if they were purchased legally elsewhere.
Children and teens under 15 years of age account for more than a third of all fireworks burn injuries in Massachusetts.
Fireworks set off without professional supervision can cause severe burns to skin, property damage, and even necessitate amputations according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services.
From 2011 to 2020 there have been 941 major fire and explosion incidents with illegal fireworks catalogued by the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System.
Twelve civilian injuries, 42 fire service injuries, and an estimated $2.1 million in losses resulted from those incidents.
Thirty-two individuals have been treated at emergency rooms across the state for severe burn injuries covering over 5% of their bodies over the past decade because of firework use.
The weekend of the Fourth of July is consistently one of the busiest weekends for fires due to firework incidents.
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