Fireworks

High fire danger put the damper on fireworks in Dodge City July Fourth, but residents could be allowed to shoot them off September 11. The Dodge City City Commission will meet September 6 to decide if they will allow fireworks September 10 and 11. The city banned fireworks on Independence Day because of the high fire danger. City leaders told residents they would be given another date later in the year for the fireworks if conditions improved. The city says, even though conditions are not ideal, they have improved since July.

Blame fireworks for a few fires over the holiday weekend – Firefighters fought flames at the Sleepy Hollow apartments near Central and Hillside in Wichita Monday.   Today fire investigators tell us they believe kids were shooting off fireworks that landed on the roof -burning the chimney. The fire caused more than $25,000 in damage. A Wichita home near Pawnee and Meridian also caught fire because fireworks weren't disposed of properly. Officials say someone put used fireworks in a bag and left them in the bed of a truck inside the home's garage.

Calls are still coming in from people injured by fireworks. Wichita hospitals have seen close to 40 people who were treated for burns. The injuries have been coming in all week. Nurses say most are minor injuries and patients are treated and released.

Between Wichita's hospitals, at least forty people have been treated for accidents related to fireworks. The calls are still coming in to St. Francis, where Rick Anderson is being readied to go home. "Second degree burns from the tips to the knuckles," he explained about the bandages on his right hand. It happened on the Fourth of July, when he and others were trying to avoid an accident. A teen had put together several fireworks, but the adults decided to dismantle it to be safe.

Fireworks are back in a big way in the city of Salina. For over 40 years fireworks were not legal to buy, sell, or set off in the city. That all changed earlier this year when the city decided to once again make fireworks legal, the demand was obvious at several of the tents set-up in the city. Judy and Rodger Plankenhorn are just one longtime Salina couple happy to have fireworks back. "I’ve never lost the kid in me because I have always wanted to shoot off fireworks…it’s just like being free again", says Rodger Plankenhorn.

They look pretty in the sky, but can leave a mess in the street.  If you haven't noticed it yet, by this time Tuesday firework debris will cover several neighborhoods.  Many ask the City of Wichita to come out with a street sweeper to clean up the mess.  But the city says when it comes to clean up, you're on your own. Buying fireworks is the part of the Fourth of July everyone likes.  They stock up on the fun stuff and prepare for...

All proceeds from the firework tent at 21st and Webb go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. "He just finished a 2 year battle with cancer and we wanted a way to raise money," said Karen Brown. Five-year old Gentry Brown is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed at just three years old; now his parents want to give back. "Because they've helped out quite a bit," said Gentry's father Jerry Brown. But Mother Nature had other plans. A severe thunderstorm rolled in Sunday evening, a critical time for sales.

Extreme fire danger has led to more burn and fireworks bans in parts of Kansas. Thursday the Ford County Commission voted 3-0 to ban the shooting of fireworks, although vendors can still sell them. It comes just days after commissioners in Dodge City voted to do the same. Both Dodge City and Ford County says they will look at allowing them at a later date when the fire danger is less severe. Friday officials in Pawnee County issued a burn ban for the next seven days. This also means the shooting of fireworks will not be allowed in parts of Pawnee County.

Fireworks are still allowed in Wichita and Sedgwick County for the holiday weekend. Wichita Fire Marshal Brad Crisp said Friday morning "a fireworks ban (in Wichita) is not imminent. " Crisp said officials are continuingo monitor the weather and all related data.  Officials are looking at temperatures, wind conditions, rain chances and other information.  They'll continue to monitor the weather data throughout the weekend.   "A decision to ban fireworks is not one that's made lightly.  That's a big deal," says Crisp.

The Wichita Fire Department warned citizens to avoid the use of so-called "Sky Lanterns" during fireworks season.  The floating fireworks, which are similar to miniature hot air balloons, are illegal in the city limits because of an open flame and the dangerous way they are ignited, Fire Marshal Brad Crisp said. Wichita fire officials confiscated "Sky Lanterns" from two different stands recently and ordered local fireworks suppliers to remove them from tents.  "We believe this was a mistake," Crisp said, noting that the fireworks stands and suppliers cooperated fully.