Burn ban hampers Fourth fireworks
Burn ban still in effect until November 1
By JAMES C. FALCON
editors@bhgnews.com
For a brief moment Sunday evening, a street in Garrison lit up like the Fourth of July.
The whining whistle and subsequent boom of firecrackers and sparklers cut the evening air like a knife.
It was a time to celebrate. It was the Fourth of July, after all.
But then, a patrol car rolled up. The party was over.
On Sunday evening, “there were a couple” of calls made to police about fireworks or firecrackers and the like being set off, said Travis Tesch, Garrison Police Chief.
In Garrison, as well as throughout the county, there were numerous scofflaws who disregarded the burn ban that prohibited fireworks when the Fire Danger Index was at high levels. On Sunday, as well as a few preceding days, the index was at Very High; in other words, the ban was on – and fireworks were off.
“I don’t think it’s as bad as it could have been,” Tesch said, noting that luckily, any fireworks that did go off didn’t cause fires. “It sounded like the country had problems.”
The McLean County Sheriff’s Department stated on their Facebook page late Sunday evening they received “back to back to back” fire calls and “nonstop reports” of fireworks throughout the county.
