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MENOMONEE FALLS -- The extremely dry weather over the past several weeks is creating a lot of concern throughout southeastern Wisconsin as the Fourth of July weekend approaches and Summerfest begins. Several communities have issued outdoor burning bans, and say they will be watching the weather closely when it comes to community fireworks displays.
Fond du Lac announced Tuesday, June 26th it may postpone its fireworks display due to the dry conditions and the danger of fire.
In many communities, a "sparkler" is considered part of the Fourth of July festivities, as is the large fireworks display sanctioned by cities and communities at dusk.
The community of Menomonee Falls is one of several where officials say they're worried as their fireworks display date approaches.
"We've had concerns here for several weeks now with the lack of rainfall," Menomonee Falls Fire Chief Jeffrey Hevey said.
The dry conditions fed a fire in the Town of Burlington Monday afternoon that spread quickly and consumed 80 acres. Multiple fire crews were called to the scene to bring the fire under control.
Fire officials say they are checking and re-checking their grass fire fighting equipment in preparation for a dry Fourth of July.
"The main thing is -- use common sense. If your yard is dry, you can sprinkle all day if you need to make sure it's nice and wet. I tell everybody always have a bucket of water handy," Dave Beyer with Uncle Sam's Fireworks said.
Uncle Sam's in Allenton sells fireworks and also has a field that will be wet where people can set off fireworks.
In the meantime, city and community officials continue to monitor the weather to determine whether the Fourth of July fireworks displays will be a go.
As a reminder, "sparklers" and some other similar products are actually illegal in Milwaukee and other communities. Fire officials say the reason for that is embers could fly into someone's yard or onto the roof and cause a fire. It is best to check with your community regarding was is and isn't allowed.