HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Firefighters are urging you to leave the fireworks to the experts this Fourth of July.
The plea comes after a church firework display sparked a 3-acre brush fire in the Cypress area on Friday. Fire officials say the conditions in our area are just too dry.
"When those embers go up, they come back down and will go on roofs that are dry. Gutters, dead leaves and whatever else is fallen, nothing has rinsed it out. Those smolder," said Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen.
Just Friday night, a Fourth of July celebration at Second Baptist Church in Cypress started a grass fire in a neighboring field.
"Small bits of fire started and then it just progressively got bigger and bigger the wind spread more embers across the dry patch of land," said a witness.
3 acres of brush caught on fire. Fortunately, fire crews were on site and were able to jump into action and put out the fire quickly. That’s why fire officials are concerned and are asking people to visit professional firework displays instead. Those will likely have crews on site.
If you are going to do your own fireworks, experts say to be prepared.
"Please take a garden hose buckets of water," said Christensen.
In the meantime, fire departments are preparing for whatever these dry conditions may bring.
"They are bringing brush trucks, extra apparatus and extra manpower and staffing and EMS just to make sure they are ready,' said Christensen.
The fire marshal wants to remind people it's illegal to set off fireworks within 600 feet of a daycare, church, school, or hospital.