BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — As communities across Colorado have been partaking in Fourth of July festivities this holiday weekend, some neighborhoods impacted by the Marshall Fire have been on high alert.
"I think there's people still interested in celebrating the Fourth," Louisville resident Richard Morgan said.
Morgan's street is filled with homes decorated in Fourth of July fashion, with flags proudly hung on front porches, but the celebrations in his community are likely to look different this year.
"You see a lot of the damage already when you come into our neighborhood," Morgan pointed out as he referenced his neighbors homes destroyed by the Marshall Fire.
"So I think that's just affecting people's moods this year," Morgan said.
That's why Morgan says his community doesn't have an appetite for one particular Independence Day festivity.
"I don't think there's a whole lot of tolerance for private fireworks," Morgan said.
His position is understandable, considering the drought, the aftermath of the Marshall Fire and the potential for a firework to start a new one.
"It's on everybody's mind," Morgan said.
Despite fireworks being prohibited in Boulder County this year, dispatch centers within the county have received several complaints of illegal fireworks, including a report of a fire that was started by a firework.
While the location and size of the fire were not confirmed, North Metro Fire Rescue firefighter Preston Lyons says the cloud coverage and rain this holiday weekend is deceiving.
"It gives you a false sense of protection," Lyons told Denver7. It's going to give people more confidence to think that they can set off fireworks ... [but] the grasses are still dry and things can still burn," Lyons said.
To report illegal fireworks in Boulder County, call 303-441-4444.
