Authorities' advice: Don't get fired up

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Authorities are warning Central Washington residents to follow fireworks rules as the summer heat dries out forests and lowland brush.

Anyone who violates Yakima County's fireworks ordinance faces a $250 fine, sherifff's officials said Thursday at a joint news conference with Yakima firefighters and state bomb technicians.

The agencies emphasized the dangers of illegal and homemade fireworks and explosive devices, urging everyone to attend public fireworks displays across the Yakima Valley instead of risking life, limb or property.

Illegal fireworks are bad enough, but homemade explosives can be especially unstable, said Yakima fire marshal Ron Melcher.

"Making bombs is not something that should be done by anyone besides a professional," Melcher said.

Bomb technicians from the Washington State Patrol set off a variety of confiscated commercial and improvised explosives to demonstrate their power.

A firework commonly known as an M-80 can cause severe hand injuries -- a hamburger-filled glove was mangled by such an explosion during Thursday's demonstration. Another common device -- a tennis ball filled with gunpowder or a similar propellant -- destroyed a watermelon and punched a hole in a piece of plywood.

State Patrol Sgt. Tom Foster said makers of homemade bombs can be prosecuted on federal charges.

Sheriff's deputies will again focus patrols on the north side of Ahtanum Ridge south and west of Union Gap, Sgt. John Durand said. The area has earned a reputation as a "war zone" because of rampant discharge of fireworks by customers of fireworks stands operated by Yakama tribal members.

The fireworks ban applies to all rural areas of the county. Sheriff's official take the position that non-tribal members setting off fireworks anywhere on the reservation are in violation of the county's fireworks ban.

However, Durand said he did not expect deputies to seek out violators on tribal land due to jurisdictional issues.

The Yakama Nation has set aside two areas for public discharge of fireworks -- the White Swan rodeo grounds and a parcel near the Toppenish Longhouse on Robbins Road, near the tribe's Legends Casino -- and expanded to 500 feet the no-discharge zone around fireworks stands, said Deputy Chief Allen Walker of Yakima County Fire District 5. Walker regularly works with the tribal government on fireworks issues.

A tribal representative could not immediately be reached Thursday afternoon.

Local, state and federal firefighters urge campers and other outdoor users to obey campfire regulations and be cautious to avoid setting the woods on fire.

Vegetation is slowly drying out as the weather heats up and precipitation declines.

"We're anticipating a long, busy fire season this year," said Debbie Robinson, a spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources in Ellensburg.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 509-577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.

2009 Fireworks Information by City

JURISDICTION PHONE SALES DISCHARGE DISPLAY

Grandview 882-9200 Y Y N

Granger 854-1725 Y Y Y

Mabton 894-4096 Y Y Y

Moxee 575-8851 Y Y N

Naches 653-2647 N N Y

Selah 698-7369 N N N

Sunnyside 837-3782 N N N

Tieton 673-3162 N N N

Toppenish 865-3111 N N Y

Union Gap 248-0432 N N N

Wapato 877-2334 N N N

Yakima 575-6000 N N Y

Zillah 829-5151 Y Y Y

Yakima County 574-2300 N N N

* Note: Exact hours of sales and discharge vary according to each town where fireworks are legal. Please call for more information. All telephone area codes are 509.