The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office is reminding residents to be careful with fireworks.

Baker City is not banning legal fireworks within the city limits.

Posts Tuesday, July 1, on the city’s and city fire department’s Facebook pages included a list of bans, including of fireworks, that took effect Wednesday, July 2, on lands protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

But that state agency doesn’t protect property within the Baker City limits, so the fireworks ban doesn’t apply here.

A ban on open burning, including burn barrels, is in effect within the Baker City limits and also took effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Baker City Fire Chief Michael Carlson, and Police Chief Ty Duby, both said Wednesday morning that the city wrote a press release clarifying that fireworks legal in Oregon are allowed within the city limits. Fireworks are also sold within the city limits.

Carlson is urging residents to be especially careful with legal fireworks, including having a hose or bucket of water available and not lighting fireworks close to dry grass or other combustible material.

The May-June period was the driest in Baker City since at least World War II. Rainfall over the past two months at the Baker City Airport totaled slightly more than half an inch, which is just 20% of average for the two-month period.

The press release, issued about 10:50 a.m., states, in part:

• Fireworks should be deployed over concrete or asphalt to decrease the risk of fire.
• Users of legal fireworks should have a water supply and/or fire extinguisher immediately accessible to extinguish any fire starting from a fireworks apparatus.
• Users of fireworks should drown the remains of fireworks with water until cooled.

The press release also describes fireworks legal in Oregon.

These are “primarily ground-based consumer fireworks that do not explode or leave the ground. This includes items like fountains, smoke devices, wheels, flitter sparklers, and ground spinners. Novelty devices such as party poppers and snakes are also legal in Oregon.”

Fireworks illegal in Oregon include those that fly, explode, or behave in an uncontrolled or unpredicted manner and include any firework that travels more than 12 feet horizontally across the ground. Specifically, this includes items like mortars, rockets, missiles, firecrackers, cherry bombs, M-80s, roman candles, and bottle rockets.”

“Possession and/or use of illegal fireworks is a crime in Oregon punishable by criminal and civil fines to include jail,” the press release states.

People who use legal fireworks in a “reckless manner could be investigated and charged criminally for reckless burning,” the press release states. “Please use good judgment and be safe over the 4th of July.”