Fourth of July is a time to celebrate America. There are several big fireworks celebrations in Tucson. The Tucson Fire Department has been preparing all week for the A-Mountain fireworks show.
Battalion Chief Barrett Baker with the Tucson Fire Department says the biggest responsibility is to make sure crews are ready if a fire sparks. "There are a lot of injuries and fires that come along with that, and we want to to make sure that both of those things are minimized," Baker said. According to Baker, it is not uncommon for brush fires to ignite on the mountain during the show. It happened last year, the southern slope of the mountain burned before the end of the show.
However this year, Tucson Fire crews began preparations well-ahead of time. They removed buffelgrass by hand and cleared dry vegetation in the area. "We have taken the fuel around the cactus to where a spot fire does take place, that its not getting things caught on fire that we don't want to," Baker added.
Tucson water will provide tankers to help fire crews wet down the mountain an hour before the fireworks show. Several firefighters will be on standby in case anything goes wrong, Baker said.
The show begins at 9:15 p.m.
