RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) –While everyone’s eyes are on the sky for firework celebrations this week, you need to pay attention to surrounding grass just in case a spark starts a fire.
Fires can still pop up despite all of the rain some areas have seen recently.
In the blink of an eye, one spark could catch your lawn or field on fire.
“But a lot of times in the fringe areas, people shoot them off in the tall grass. This year it’s not quite as dry as it has been in years past but grass still burns. It’s classified as a one hour fuel, which means it takes one hour to dry out,” Rapid Valley Assistant Fire Chief Tim Kobes said.
Having supplies to fight a fire nearby and knowing your area are vital.
“You want to have some type of a water source, some type of shovel or something that you can keep to put out a fire instantaneously. You want to know where you are at, at all times. So if you do need to call for help you can accurately describe to 911 your address or location that you’re at,” Fire Administrator Jerome Harvey said.
“It would be good to have a bucket of water available, the same bucket that you use if a fire does start you can throw that on there or a garden hose that has water in it available or a shovel or even a small fire extinguisher. Perhaps a Class A fire extinguisher, ” Kobes said.
Fire Departments are going to be ready all week, but advise everyone to take extra precautions.
“Our fire departments are prepared and ready to respond. We’re as prepared as we’re going to be but let’s prevent the things from happening in the first place,” Harvey said.
After you celebrate with fireworks, make sure to soak them in water overnight to prevent any hot trash from reigniting and then you can dispose of them the next day.
