Studies show wildfires often peak around July 4

Tomorrow, millions of Americans will celebrate July 4th, a holiday which — perhaps surprisingly — ranked joint 6th in a YouGov survey of America’s favorite days of the year (Christmas was first, Thanksgiving second, Halloween third, in case you were wondering).

Most people agree that some of the key ingredients for a good Independence Day bash include lots of hot dogs, as many mayonnaise-based salads as your table can fit, friends and family, and, of course, fireworks. But, America’s love of a dazzling display of pyrotechnics comes with risks.

In fact, a 2020 study by Mietkiewicz et al., originally published in The Conversation, found that the number of human-caused wildfires often spikes in the days around July 4th — an increase that’s largely attributed to the widespread use of fireworks during the holiday. This regular uptick exacerbates the pre-existing issue of human-caused wildfires in the US. Nearly 85% of wildfires between 2000 and 2017 were caused by humans according to data cited by the National Park Service.

As Reuters reports, wildfires aren’t the only issue caused by fireworks. The noise and light can disturb and endanger certain species of wildlife, and pollutants such as perchlorate can enter the food chain if not properly disposed of. Furthermore, most people don’t handle things-that-go-bang very frequently, leading to an uptick in visits to the emergency room: the chart of firework-related injuries is an even more extreme version of the one above. Stay safe!