Each Fourth of July, many residents of the alpine town of Silverton, Colorado, gather along the town’s winding roads and parking lots, setting up lawn chairs to watch the annual fireworks display.
For a community of under a thousand people, the fireworks mark the culmination of a week of traditional Fourth of July festivities, such as block parties, bull rides, picnics and parades.
This year, however, the show will not take place.
As the nation prepares for its 250th birthday, wildfires raging across the western United States have compelled local governments to reassess holiday plans.
“Fireworks are cancelled for all of us, quite frankly,” said DeAnne Gallegos, a spokesperson for San Juan County, which includes the town.
The U.S. wildfire season has begun early and with intensity, with firefighters battling blazes in California, Arizona, New Mexico and other western states. A fire on the Utah‑Colorado border claimed three lives on Sunday.
A warm winter and severe drought have left the western landscape highly combustible, with abundant dry grass, brush and timber. Extreme heat and strong winds forecast for Independence Day could cause fires to spread quickly.
In 2024, fireworks sparked roughly 30,000 outdoor fires, ranging from wildfires to dumpster ignitions, according to the National Fire Protection Association. The agency notes a yearly surge in wildfires on July 4 and 5, said Michele Steinberg, director of its wildfire division.
A single firework can ignite any flammable material nearby if it lands on burning ground or generates stray sparks, Ms. Steinberg explained.
Several wildfire‑prone communities have abandoned fireworks in recent years. Since 2023, Salt Lake City has replaced its displays with drone shows, featuring hundreds of synchronized illuminated drones flying above parks, a city spokesman said. Park City, Utah, and Aspen, Colorado, have adopted the same approach.
The current scorching and arid conditions have spurred additional adjustments. In Utah, Governor Spencer Cox has issued a temporary statewide restriction on fireworks, permitting cities to set aside designated zones for use. From Nebraska to Nevada, numerous local jurisdictions have modified their celebration plans.
“People must comply with these orders,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. “Now is not the moment to use fireworks when the conditions do not support it.”
Fireworks have traditionally been a highlight of the holiday in Silverton, and the display has not been cancelled since the COVID‑19 pandemic, according to Ms. Gallegos. Meanwhile, a neighboring community switched to a drone show after citing wildfire risks, but the change “went over like a lead balloon” in Silverton, she noted.
This year, postponement proved “the wisest course of action,” she said, as the area contends with a lingering drought and limited firefighting resources. Authorities are currently fighting the Gold Mountain fire burning in neighboring Ouray County.
Ouray has also cancelled its fireworks, water fights and a related tradition of spraying water from fire trucks, its mayor announced.
“It would be disrespectful to host water fights on Main Street while a wildfire burns with smoke visible in the distance,” said Mayor Michael Underwood.
Other jurisdictions have taken even stricter steps. Colorado Springs, facing a major wildfire about an hour to the south, has cancelled or postponed seven fireworks events. In western Nebraska, Alliance has limited both the sale and use of fireworks within city limits.
Silverton residents are commemorating two milestones this year: the county’s 150th anniversary and the nation’s 250th. Nevertheless, “there are countless other ways to celebrate community beyond fireworks,” Ms. Gallegos added.
“That has been our key takeaway.”
