Dozens Of 4th Of July Fireworks Shows Cancelled Due To Heat, Wildfire Risk

DENVER, CO - JULY 4: The Colorado Rockies treat the fans to a fireworks spectacular July 4, 2017 in Denver, Colorado at Coors Field after their loss to the Cincinnati Reds 8-1. (Photo by John Leyba/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The Spring Creek fire in southern Colorado has burned through over 84,000 acres, including 100 homes, to become the third largest wildfire in state history. A number of roads have been closed and communities evacuated. The fire is expected to spread north towards another isolated community on Wednesday, which is the 4th of July.

Not surprisingly, there will be few fireworks shows to attend in the area. Instead, residents of the affected communities are encouraged to attend a community meeting on the wildfire situation set for 6 p.m. on the holiday in the La Veta High School gym.

Across the west, cancelled 4th of July fireworks shows are becoming a new Independence Day tradition.

With less than 36 hours to go before dusk and what would normally be showtime, almost 50 fireworks displays in Colorado alone have been cancelled or drastically reworked. There will be no official fireworks show in Durango, where haze from nearby fires still hangs in the air below the peaks of the picturesque San Juan Mountains.

Aspen is having a drone show in lieu of fireworks this year; Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs are both doing laser light shows instead. Well known mountain destinations like Vail, Telluride and Breckenridge have completely cancelled their shows.

As of July 3, the Colorado Department of Public Safety reported at least nine wildfires burning in the state, including the Chedsey fire near Steamboat and two fires outside of Durango. I can smell the smoke from the Spring Creek fire at my home in New Mexico.

A handful of fireworks shows have also been cancelled here, as well as in Arizona and California.

In Ohio, towns near Toledo have also cancelled their festivities, not necessarily because of fire danger, but because of health concerns associated with triple-digit temperatures gripping parts of the northeast.

The southwestern U.S. is currently in the throes of what could be a generational drought, with the Rio Grande threatening to run dry closer to its headwaters than ever before in recent memory.  Almost all National Forest lands in New Mexico between Santa Fe and the Colorado border are currently closed due to the extreme fire danger.

With conditions like this, it's a wonder any fireworks are happening anywhere in the region. Research has shown that the vast majority of wildfires are human-caused. If Wednesday's celebrations turn into Thursday's tragedies, we can look forward to much quieter 4th of July celebrations in the future.

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