Customers walk into a Red Hot Fireworks tent in Phoenix. Although Phoenix has gone a full 120 days without any measurable precipitation there has not been any serious effort in the drought-stricken states to restrict fireworks. Arizona actually loosened its restrictions this year and allowed residents of the two most populated cities to set off fireworks around Independence Day.ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Arizona’s largest city has gone four months without any measurable rain, and neighboring New Mexico is in the midst of four years of severe drought.
But you’ll still see and hear fireworks sparkle and pop during the days around July 4, despite the dangerously high threat of wildfires.
While some places in the West ban fireworks altogether, or greatly limit what you can light off when conditions are ripe for fire, other states are going in the opposite direction.
Arizona actually loosened its restrictions this year and is now allowing residents of the two most populated cities to set off fireworks in the days around Independence Day, and an effort by the New Mexico governor to impose tougher rules during dry times has repeatedly fallen on deaf ears in the Legislature.
Some lawmakers chalk it up to statehouse politics, while others say it’s politicians’ reluctance to impose more regulations and take away the cherished tradition of setting off fireworks, even in severe droughts.