From our news services
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (Seashore) reminds visitors and adjacent homeowners that it is illegal to detonate fireworks (including sparklers), or have fireworks in your possession, on all land managed by the National Park Service, including all beaches from the southern Nags Head border through Hatteras and Ocracoke islands.
Also, fireworks of any kind are prohibited within Ocracoke village, or all of Ocracoke Island.
In addition to fireworks being illegal and a significant fire risk to local communities, the personal use of fireworks can be a considerable nuisance to humans, pets and wildlife, not to mention the threat of wildfires.
There also is the concern of fireworks sparking fires as The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC) has classified all or part of 99 counties as in moderate drought or abnormally dry, with high temperatures and low precipitation driving the rapid deterioration of conditions across the state.
DMAC classified 57 counties as in moderate drought, or in D1 conditions. Another 42 counties were classified as abnormally dry. This marks only the second time since 2000 that North Carolina has seen an increase in the drought classification for more than 50 percent of the state in one week.
“The hot and dry conditions resulted in a rapid degradation of conditions statewide,” said Klaus Albertin, chair of the DMAC. “The lack of rainfall has been made worse by the warm weather and low humidity. We have already seen impacts to stream flows and reservoirs. The late spring and early summer are critical in the growing season, and impacts to agriculture have already been seen.”
Seashore law enforcement rangers will be patrolling the beaches throughout the upcoming Fourth of July holiday week.
Hatteras and Ocracoke islands have the only two permitted fireworks shows within the Seashore: 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, July 2, at the south end of Ocracoke Island and 9 p.m. Thursday, July 4, at the Avon Fishing Pier.
For information on Ocracoke Independence Day events, click here.
