St. George • St. George will allow residents to light personal fireworks over the Fourth of July holiday, making it and Enterprise the only cities in Washington County not to adopt a full ban under Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s statewide emergency order.

Cox’s June 25 executive order gave the state forester power to prohibit fireworks over the holiday weekend, but it also granted cities discretion about how or if they will comply. Despite the extreme fire danger across the state, St. George Mayor Jimmie Hughes has opted to maintain the status quo in his city.

Neither Hughes nor Enterprise Mayor Brandon Humphries could be reached for comment. But in a video the St. George mayor posted on the city’s Facebook page on June 26, Hughes emphasized individual freedom and responsibility.

“Now I’m a big believer in personal responsibility,” he said. “I feel very strongly that America was built by rugged individualists, and that the freedoms we enjoy were paid for in blood and sacrifice. We sustain this by understanding that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.”

Cox’s order came as the state deals with a hot and fast start to fire season, with more than 300,000 acres having already burned across the Beehive State due to wildfires.

Southern Utah in particular faces some of the nation’s highest wildfire risk, according to data from the U.S. Forest Service. Washington County’s wildfire risk is higher than 97% of other counties and St. George’s risk is higher than 92% of communities across the U.S.

Hughes’ stance contrasts sharply with the total firework ban enacted by Washington City Mayor Kress Staheli, who called his own decision to ban all fireworks during the holiday “a no-brainer” and noted it was “one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made as mayor.”

Staheli’s fervor for dousing fireworks was fueled by the drive he took recently through northern Utah and seeing the plumes of smoke and heavy haze from the wildfires choking the valleys. He said most city residents have told him he made the right call.

City officials say the community response to the decision has been divided. St. George resident Jerry Mitchell left no doubt where he stands: “All cities should ban them. I don’t know why St. George’s isn’t. There are too many idiots. I don’t think a lot of people are smart enough to turn them loose with fireworks when it is so dry.”

Conversely, fireworks seller Dino Rebber at TNT Fireworks in St. George, lauded Hughes for what he termed a “common sense solution.”

“We live in a desert,” he remarked. “It is hot and dry every summer and the fire danger is the same year to year. Nothing has changed. So I’m glad the mayor kept the city’s firework rules the same.”

Rebber, however, noted that some residents he has encountered have a short fuse about fireworks sales.

“I had a lady drive up the first day I was open and say, ‘It’s unbelievable that, with all these fires around the state, you would still be selling fireworks. You ought to be shot.’ That’s part of the game. Everybody has got an opinion.”

St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker has experienced this polarization firsthand.

“I’ve spent all morning either returning emails or returning phone calls from [people] who favor or are not in favor of banning fireworks,” he told The Tribune Wednesday.

Despite the outcry in some corners, he noted that the city’s existing policy has generally worked, adding that the “areas where we have problems every year are with illegal fireworks that are brought in from out of state and with people discharging fireworks in restricted areas.”

Under the current fire map the City Council adopted several years ago, personal fireworks are permitted only in designated areas and 19 city parks for Independence Day. They remain strictly banned in washes, drainages, river corridors, and hillsides.

For those seeking an alternative, St. George will host its own public July 4th fireworks show at 10 p.m. at Greater Zion Stadium.