With Independence Day right around the corner, Mid-Missouri residents are being reminded of how to stay safe around fireworks.
"The best way to see fireworks safely is to go to public displays and let the professionals do it," said Jason Turner, Jefferson City Fire Department public information officer. "It's the best way to prevent injury and accident."
It is illegal to discharge fireworks within Jefferson City limits, but Turner said people still do it whether they are unaware of the law or are choosing to ignore it.
"There are multiple safety concerns," Turner said. "Children using them without adult supervision is an injury risk; fireworks could hit other people's houses, causing them to catch fire. Most people will injure themselves just trying to set them off."
Fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires each year, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Bax Fireworks owner Paul Bax has been selling fireworks on Pleasant Hill Road outside of Jefferson City since 1999 and said the problem is people don't read the instructions.
"They have warning labels for a reason," Bax said. "All of them tell you not to light it while it is in your hand."
He cites misuse as the reason things go wrong.
Another key safety precaution is not relighting fireworks that don't originally go off.
"It will have a shorter fuse, which makes it unsafe," Bax said. "If you pick one up that didn't go off, what you should do is take it back to a fireworks store to return it."
People looking to watch fireworks in the Jefferson City area can catch a professional show at the Salute to America festival downtown. The fireworks show is set to start at approximately 9:40 p.m. Thursday.