Handling fireworks safely this 4th of July

Before you buy some fireworks to pop this 4th of July, El Pasoans should know that it is illegal to sell, use or possess fireworks in the City of El Paso.

City officials say fireworks cause burn injuries and fire threats to the hot and dry desert here during the summer.

ABC-7 spoke with the El Paso Fire Marshals Office on how to stay safe if you plan on popping your own fireworks somewhere else in the county.

Captain Carlos Ornelas says there are risks of fireworks being damaged when you purchase them and later exploding too quick in people’s hands, causing severe trauma and burn injuries.

Ornelas also says if alcohol is involved, someone sober should be responsible in handling the fireworks.

Here’s what else he recommends:

"I highly recommend that you reach that to each jurisdiction just to ensure you're you're in the right place to pop them. I know it gets tricky out there, you may be within a city, within the county."

One of the co-owners of Firework Freddy in Montana Vista also advises to always read the warning labels before using a firework — it tells you if you can hold them or not and how far you need to be from it.

Co-owner Ray Simental, a licensed pyrotechnic, says don't stand any closer than 20 feet from the explosive, but he recommends to take an extra 10 feet away.

You also have about 5 to 10 seconds to move away from the fuse.

Keep flammable things away from the firework like alcohol and don’t smoke near it either.

Simental says there are also some things the label doesn’t tell you.

"Keep a bucket of water around, a hose," said the co-owner. "Stay away from a dry environment definitely. Any dry weeds that can potentially any little spark will catch them on fire, so definitely just stay away from that. Light it and run away, don't stay close."

They recommend going to an open field like montana instead of doing them in front of homes…