Houston fireworks sales continue despite high statewide fire risk

HOUSTON, Alaska (KTUU) – The fire danger is high across the state of Alaska, but that hasn’t stopped fireworks sales in Houston’s Mat-Su Borough, where Gorilla Fireworks stands were doing brisk business just days before the Fourth of July.

Houston is the only city in the Mat-Su district where fireworks are allowed to be legally sold and used on private property, but with the fire risk high, there are calls to shut down the stands.

Houston Fire Chief Christian Hartley said he’s getting calls from concerned people but is quickly clearing them up.

“We believe in limited government in Houston, we don’t believe in restricting freedoms unless it’s necessary for public safety,” Hartley said. “Our experience is that an educated population is safe with their fireworks.”

Fireworks are currently banned in the Mat-Su neighborhood, but individual cities like Wasilla, Palmer and Houston can legally set their own rules.

The Houston chief said the current fire conditions — “high” but not “very high” or “extremely high” — are not grounds for closing sales. Hartley said that in his experience as chief, as of 2016, there have only been two small fires in the city of Houston caused by fireworks.

“Both products were used in a manner inconsistent with the manufacturer’s directions,” he said.

The state Division of Forestry and Fire Prevention, which is currently battling the Montana Creek Fire near Talkeetna, does not recommend using fireworks when conditions are this dry.

Fire prevention officer Kevin Lankford said the state does not have jurisdiction over Houston or other cities in the Mat-Su district. Lankford said the state could ban the sale of fireworks, but only if it issued a burn closure, which does not appear to be happening anytime soon.

“That would require extreme fire risk and potentially more fires on the landscape than we currently have,” Lankford said.

Back in Houston, Gorilla Fireworks Director Sam Bouma said the company works closely with the Houston Fire Department and has taken voluntary steps to reduce the risk of fire.

“We never sell rockets in the summer,” she said. “And we have chosen, under current conditions, not to sell Roman candles, helicopters, parachutes with flares or Saturn missile batteries.”

Hartley said firefighters will also be on hand at the booths on July 3 and 4 to educate the public and answer questions about what is legal regarding fireworks to keep people safe.

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