Charlottesville Fire Chief Urges 4th of July Safety - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville, VA News, Sports and Weather

The bright colors and explosive sounds of fireworks are fun to enjoy but every July Fourth hundreds of people across the country are injured by them.

City of Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles Werner says children and teenagers are often the ones injured by fireworks especially from sparklers. He said they burn at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. Oftentimes kids will touch them while they are still hot, causing third degree burns.

Fireworks, including sparklers, are not allowed in the city of Charlottesville.  For those in areas that do allow sparklers, Werner has a word of advice:

"You might want to have a cool jar of water or something close by that you can stick the sparklers in once they're finished so they can't be picked up again accidentally and burn someone," he said.

Chief Werner said the safest way to enjoy the festivities is to attend a public fireworks display.