June 7 – As drought worsens in the region and across the state, Santa Fe County officials want to ban the sale and use of fireworks for the remainder of June and through Independence Day into early July.
A resolution to be submitted to the County Commission for consideration next week would declare a severe drought nationwide and ban the sale and use of certain fireworks in unincorporated parts of the county and in wilderness areas for 30 days.
A county restriction would not apply to the city of Santa Fe.
City Fire Marshal Geronimo Griego declined to say last week whether he planned to recommend a fireworks ban or restrictions ahead of the holiday, and numerous city officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The agenda for the June 12 City Council meeting includes consideration of a resolution authorizing a public fireworks display on the Fourth of July at the Santa Fe Place Mall, an event presented by Western Enterprises Inc. and the Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe. However, no measure is mentioned regarding restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks.
State law requires local governments to adopt fireworks restrictions at least 20 days before the Fourth of July, one of the few holidays when sales by licensed retailers are allowed. With some exceptions, retailers can only market permitted fireworks for the 4th of July celebrations between June 20 and July 6.
Santa Fe County commissioners will consider a measure at a meeting on June 11, just a few days before the deadline to take action. Another committee vote next month could extend the ban for another 30 days beyond the original ban, if it passes.
The resolution would ban the “sale and use of rockets, helicopters, air spinners, stick-type missiles and ground hearing aids” in unincorporated and wilderness areas of Santa Fe County. It would limit the use of all other permitted fireworks “to areas that are paved, arid or have a readily accessible water source for use by the homeowner or the general public.”
All of Santa Fe County is in severe drought, according to Thursday’s report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of New Mexico is experiencing some degree of drought, with part of southern New Mexico experiencing “extreme” and “exceptional” drought, the most severe conditions.
A memorandum from Santa Fe County Fire Marshal Jaome Blay supporting the fireworks restrictions noted that two fires were burning in the state on June 3: the Indios Fire north of Coyote and the Blue 2 Fire north of Ruidoso.
Another small fire was reported north of Pecos this week.
As indicated by federal monitoring, Blay wrote, the drought is expected to persist and worsen throughout Santa Fe County and New Mexico in the coming weeks. Under these circumstances, this resolution will reduce the likelihood of an accidental human-started wildfire, ensure public and fire department safety, and preserve property in Santa Fe County.”
The state forester agreed with his decision to ban some fireworks, Blay wrote, “because abnormally warm temperatures, low humidity, high winds and the abundance of dry fuel material increase the likelihood of fire incidents.”
The city and province both took measures to restrict fireworks in 2022 due to severe drought, but no such measures were adopted in the region in the summer of 2023.
