Heading into the July Fourth holiday, here’s where personal fireworks are restricted in Alaska

Firefighters in Alaska are battling a number of active wildfires from Denali to the Kenai Peninsula as residents prepare to celebrate Independence Day on Thursday.

There are localized restrictions for personal fireworks use and burning in some areas of the state, but there are no statewide bans on burning or fireworks for this year’s July Fourth.

Burn restrictions

In the Interior, where crews are fighting numerous fires north of Fairbanks and near the entrance of Denali National Park and Preserve, the Bureau of Land Management issued a fire prevention order that applies to campfires, fireworks and explosives on federal lands near Fox. There’s also a temporary fire closure in place for a portion of the White Mountains National Recreation Area.

The state Division of Forestry and Fire Protection has suspended both large and small scale burn permits for Fairbanks, Salcha and the Railbelt until weather conditions improve.

A burn permit suspension for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough remains in place, applying to burn barrels, debris piles and lawn piles. Small campfires for warming or cooking are still allowed. In the Mat-Su, crews have been battling the Montana Creek Fire south of Talkeetna since last weekend.

On Wednesday, open fires — including campfires and burn pits — were prohibited in Anchorage due to high fire danger, but the use of barbecue grills was allowed, according to the municipality’s wildfire mitigation website, updated daily.

Statewide, there are more than 300 wildfires burning more than 484,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, with eight new fires started in the previous 24 hours.

Fireworks

The use of personal fireworks is illegal within the Municipality of Anchorage and is punishable by a fine of up to $300. It’s also prohibited on Kenai Peninsula Borough and Matanuska-Susitna Borough lands.

There’s one exception within Mat-Su, however: Fireworks are legally sold in the city of Houston, where the use of fireworks on private property is also allowed with permission from the property owner.

Fireworks are also allowed in the City and Borough of Juneau on private property, within a limited time window around the July Fourth holiday.

Here’s where you can catch sanctioned fireworks displays in Southcentral Alaska:

Eagle River will kick things off at 6 p.m. Wednesday with a July Fourth celebration hosted by the Eagle River Lions Club, culminating in fireworks at midnight.

A fireworks display is also part of Seward’s annual Independence Day celebration, lighting up the sky over the Seward Harbor late Wednesday night before Thursday’s Mount Marathon race.

Anchorage on Thursday will host its annual Fourth of July parade and celebration starting at 10 a.m. at the Delaney Park Strip, and there will be a fireworks display at the conclusion of the 7 p.m. Alaska Baseball League doubleheader between the Glacier Pilots and the Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium on Thursday night.