There will be a little less sizzle and heat during summer festivities in New Mexico this year.
Bernalillo County commissioners this week voted to ban fireworks and open fires throughout the summer due to their potential for starting wildfires.
Though New Mexico has not yet entered fire season, the state is already enduring drought conditions and wildfires, according to KOB 4. As summer heats up, the risk of wildfires increases. State officials hope that banning fireworks will prevent any accidental blazes.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) requested similar bans in April, though she does not have the power to enact them statewide.
“I will be asking every local government to think about ways to ban sales of fireworks, and for all those local businesses that depend on that, what we learned in the pandemic is state and local governments have some interesting flexibility to make businesses whole,” the governor said, as reported by KOB 4.
By declaring “extreme drought conditions,” Bernalillo County officials can ban open fires in unincorporated areas of the county, according to KOB 4.