COLUMBIA, S.C. — The July 4th holiday means people will be headed out to see fireworks - or handling their own - but experts say they can also be dangerous.
Fortunately, there are precautions people can take before lighting up the night sky.
Matthew Bullard, the deputy fire chief for Kershaw County Fire, said that because of recent dry conditions, residents should try to stay away from grassy surfaces.
"Paved area preferred to concrete pads, paved driveways are always better because you don't have that necessarily dry grass," he said.
Next, he recommends using a lighting stick for any fireworks.
"I use a long strike lighter or a lot of fireworks stands sell these pre-lit sticks you can light," Bullard said. "They're safer because there is not an open flame when you are trying to light it."
However, he added that there are different kinds.
"This particular one has the wooden stick which will actually kinda burn and break away," he said. "The ones that have the metal stick to them are very dangerous and can get to 2,000 degrees, and it's hot enough to melt some metals."
Bullard also recommended an adult being present whenever fireworks are being lit and when using sparklers which he said should be kept as far away from the face as possible.
When handling bottle rockets, he said the pre-lit sticks are the best but added that those celebrating should always use some device to hold them.
"We don't want anyone to hold the firework and light them," he said.
Bullard said that, sometimes, fireworks will fail to launch. In those cases, it's important to dispose of them properly.
He said that there are situations where the fuse actually comes out of the firework. He said those would need to be disposed of.
"So, what I would do is I would actually keep that in a discarded pile of fireworks that I've actually already shot, and then, I would soak those in water before I actually threw those away," he said.
In the end, however, he said the safest tip is to go watch a professional show rather than handle them at home.