Louisianans Urged To Be Careful With Fireworks

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Unlike last summer, Louisiana is not under a statewide burn ban because of a drought but still fire officials say people need to be careful when they're using fireworks this Fourth of July.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/N6ZsAc) Louisiana State Fire Marshal Butch Browning is urging people across the state to use fireworks safely.

"It's been dry the last two weeks but nothing like last year around this time," Browning said.

Browning encouraged residents to attend professional public fireworks displays but he said he knows residents are still going to buy fireworks for personal use in the coming days.

In many places, such as East Baton Rouge Parish, fireworks are not sold and cannot be used.

Independence Day is Wednesday.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com