BOSTON – The Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s Office is reminding bars and restaurants of the hazard of sparklers after they apparently contributed to a major fire in Europe on New Year’s Eve.
Sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices, including so-called ‘cold spark’ pyrotechnics, are illegal for possession, sale, and use in Massachusetts without professional licensing, certification, and permitting, said the Fire Marshal’s office.
This includes small sparklers that have been sold as novelties or party favors to accompany champagne bottles, which are believed to have caused the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 40 lives and injured more than 100 people in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Owners of restaurants, nightclubs, bars and discotheques in the commonwealth have been notified. The Marshal thanked the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, which has provided the notice to local licensing officials for distribution to licensed establishments, and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, which is distributing the notice to its members.
Separately, the Department of Fire Services issued a notice to a Hialeah, Florida, business that markets sparklers online. This business, King of Sparklers LLC, reportedly sold and shipped sparklers that were later recovered by Fall River Fire Department inspectors at a local establishment.
“The shipment of prohibited fireworks products into the Commonwealth constitutes a violation of Massachusetts General Law and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Code and presents a significant public safety concern,” the notice stated.
State Fire Marshal Davine said that sparklers burn at temperatures of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and cast sparks that can easily ignite furnishings, decorations, and other flammable materials. They can remain hot enough to start a fire even after they’ve been extinguished, as happened in 2022, when the unsafe disposal of illegal sparklers caused a three-alarm fire in Dracut that displaced nine people.
They are classified as fireworks in Massachusetts and their possession, sale, and use require professional licensing and certification.
“The tragic fire in Switzerland has a chilling similarity to the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island, which led to numerous safety reforms in Massachusetts bars and clubs,” State Fire Marshal Davine said, noting the sprinkler regulations, inspection schedules, and crowd manager requirements that are now in place in Massachusetts.
“We just want to help these businesses keep their patrons and staff safe,” said Davine.
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
About Jim McCabe
