Carolina Curious: Why do folks journey to South Carolina for fireworks?

Another Independence Day has come and gone, having introduced the annual rush to roadside fireworks tents and shops. Many are clustered simply throughout the border in South Carolina. That had listener Elizabeth Ermis questioning: Why is the state such a preferred vacation spot for fireworks buyers?

Thomas Raper, with the state hearth marshal’s affiliation, says the draw is aerial fireworks — that are bought in South Carolina however banned right here as a result of: “Anything that leaves the ground and becomes a projectile has a tendency of creating fires, whether it be in a wooded area, a grassy area, in a structure, rooftops, decks,” he says. “Basically, causing fires where we don’t need fires to occur.”

People who violate the ban can face fines and be held responsible for any accidents tied to their use. But Raper says some folks nonetheless aren’t deterred.

“I’ve been in the fire service for a total of 27 years,” he says. “Every year we seem to either experience injuries or fires here in our area from those types of fireworks.”

And he says this 12 months’s Fourth of July was a very tough one for hearth crews. Still, there are methods to scale back dangers. Raper says persist with fireworks that keep on the bottom, and when you get a dud: “Number one: do not go decide it up. Do not look into the tube,” he says. “Give it a considerable period of time simply to take a seat there.”

The next step is to submerge the dud in water. More safety tips, and information about which fireworks are legal in North Carolina, can be found on the state fire marshal’s web site.