Getting Rid of Fireworks the Proper Way

WEST FARGO, N.D. – When the fun part of the Fourth of July is over and it’s time to clean up, you’ll want to be careful with how you choose to get rid of your fireworks.

If Another Independence Day has passed and everyone made it through the fireworks unharmed, you could consider that a successful holiday, but you may not be in the clear just yet.

“There is still residue within those boxes that are hot and when you throw it in the trash it’ll catch fire,” West Fargo Fire Department Chief Dan Fuller said.

It’s not enough just to be safe during the fireworks, but it’s also important to know what to do when the show is over.

“Taking them just off the street or off your driveway and throwing them right in the trash always creates problems,” Fuller explained.

West Fargo has had to deal with these kinds of issues in the past.

“Two years ago we had a thunderstorm on the Fourth of July so everyone rushed to get their fireworks shot off before the storm and then, being the good neighbors that we are in this part of the country, everyone picked up their trash and threw it in the trash bins. I think we had five or six structure fires that night,” Fuller said.

To avoid having that happen again, the West Fargo Fire Department encourages people to use a safer strategy.

“They should wait to make sure that they are indeed spent. Give it a little bit of time, then go out and pick it up and submerge it. We suggest getting a tote or a bucket and submerging it fully in water, letting it sit there for a couple minutes. Take them out, put them some place and just leave them until the next morning and then throw them away. That is when it would be safe to do so,” Fuller said.

This year, West Fargo responded to 15 firework-related calls, including five dumpster or trash fires. No citations were issued.

Fargo Fire also responded to four incidents with fireworks but thankfully no one was hurt.