The Fourth of July is looking like a dud this year for many people in Colorado due to the current fire danger.
More than 30 cities, towns and municipalities had canceled or postponed planned public fireworks shows as of late Wednesday afternoon, including Boulder, Littleton, Fort Collins, Golden, Aspen, Durango and all of Douglas and Jefferson counties. Colorado Springs canceled nine commercial displays scheduled for between July 1 and July 6.
Although Aurora had received permission to continue with its fireworks display, the Arapahoe County Sheriff and the city decided Wednesday to eliminate the fireworks portion of the town’s Fourth of July event anyway, “due to the severe weather conditions affecting Colorado and the unprecedented wildfire season,” according to an announcement on the city website.
As of Wednesday, fireworks in the Denver area including the Civic Center Park show, the Colorado Rockies post-game fireworks and the Denve Outlaws fireworks at Sports Authority Field at Mile High were still happening as scheduled. Erie and Pueblo were still planning to continue with their fireworks shows as well.
In Larimer County, a message on the Red Feather Lakes property owner’s association phone line told callers, “Due to uncertain weather conditions and fire danger in the area, we have decided to cancel the activities on July 7 including the craft show.”
Parker also decided Wednesday to cancel the fireworks portion of the town’s July Fourth celebrations, and Boulder nixed the annual Ralphie’s Independence Day fireworks show at Folsom Field.
In a news release, Boulder City Manager Jane S. Brautigam said public safety was the primary concern regarding the decision. “Given the current fire in south Boulder, along with fires in neighboring cities and extremely dry conditions, the public safety risk to the Boulder community is significant,” she said in the statement.
The town of Monument announced its Fourth of July Parade and the Downtown Street Fair would be postponed due to the fire danger and air quality concerns.
Frisco held out longer than most other mountain towns, as Breckenridge, Dillon, Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort all canceled firework displays early on. But as of Wednesday, Frisco was also a no-go.
Gov. John Hickenlooper recently issued an order banning the private use of fireworks statewide.
A dramatic change in weather before the holiday might change some municipalities’ decisions, giving the fireworks a go-ahead, but always consult city websites for the latest information.
Kelsey Fowler: 303-954-1211 or kfowler@denverpost.com
