 "Photo: Eliot Meyer")
The rain may have cancelled plans on the lake for the Fourth of July, but it's made the conditions for setting off fireworks even riper. Fireworks sales are up this season, and some types of fireworks are being sold for the first time in years, according to fireworks dealers.
"The burn ban last year prevented us from selling bottle rockets and other fireworks that stick in the ground," said Tina Richards, who manages a fireworks stand outside Italy, Texas, about 150 miles north of Austin.
In Austin, a city ban on fireworks also prohibits selling them within city limits.
Owners of fireworks stands attend a meeting with their local fire marshal to find out which fireworks can and can't be sold, Richards said. The restrictions are specific to each county and are based on the amount of rainfall received.
"Most counties don't qualify for bans this year," said Assistant State Fire Marshal Wayne Smith. "The ones that do are in the far northwest part of Texas, in the panhandle."
Smith said it's up to local police to stop people from buying fireworks in wetter counties and illegally setting them off in dry counties that have burn bans in place.
Statewide, stands are allowed to open from June 24 through July 4 and from December 20 through January 1.
Richards said her stand opened last Tuesday for the Fourth of July, and depending on the weather, she'll open her stand for New Year's also.
It's the state fire marshal's job to make sure stands aren't open during times that fall out of the specified season, Smith said.
The owners of stands are required to purchase a state permit to sell fireworks every year. A permit costs $50 for a single stand and $400 for multiple stands.
The bright yellow stand outside of Italy carries more than 100 varieties of fireworks, which range in price from two for $1 to $200 each. A two-and-a-half-hour firework finale costs $80.
"If we sell two of each item, then the owner makes back what he paid for that item," Richards said.
Laura Albrecht, a spokeswoman for the Austin Police Department, said the department will respond to 311 calls regarding firework usage inside city limits if officers are available.
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