East Carolinian

Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: News

Media Credit: MCT

The legal booms of fireworks on the Fourth of July won't be any bigger this year in North Carolina.

The News & Record of Greensboro reported Tuesday that consumer fireworks have gotten bigger, louder and more powerful around the country.

But not in North Carolina.

The state limits fireworks to no more than 200 grams of powder for each device.

Donna Daniel at TNT Fireworks in Greensboro said customers won't find any fireworks that move or project objects, like mortars or roman candles. Daniel is a volunteer who sells the fireworks to raise money for the Bible Revival Ministry Center in Kernersville.

"If it projects or if it moves, you can't have it here," Daniel said. "These aren't those South Carolina fireworks. Some of those might as well be bombs."

Kristin Milam with the NC Fire Marshal's office has a warning for those tempted to go south of the border for bigger explosive devices - it's illegal to bring the bigger explosives back into the state of NC.

"Being so close certainly increases the attraction to wanting to set them off," she said. "You can buy them over there and set them off over there, but don't bring them back across the state line. That's illegal."

Milam said people who want a spectacular display are better off going to a professional show in their community because they are safer.

"Even the novelty [fireworks] can be dangerous. A sparkler can burn at 1200 degrees, and that's hot enough to cause a nasty burn," Milam said.

Use of fireworks in backyards has more than doubled since 2000, up to more 280 million pounds, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Daniel said part of the growth is because of better fireworks.

"We've got quite a few new products, and they're brighter and more colorful than they used to be," Daniel said. "It's a better mix of colors, and they last a lot longer. They're works of art, really."

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