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Mayor Ted Wheeler has issued a temporary ban on the sale of fireworks in Portland going into Fourth of July weekend, due to extreme fire danger following an unusually arid spring and this week’s record-breaking heat wave.
The order comes one day after Portland Fire & Rescue outlawed the use of fireworks in city limits. At the time, Wheeler declined to also prohibit sales but relented Wednesday afternoon at the urging of Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, who oversees the fire department.
“This wasn’t an easy choice,” said Wheeler in a statement, “but it’s a necessary measure to reduce the threat of wildfires to the city and all who live here.”
The order extends through July 14.
Fireworks that shoot more than 1 foot in the air and 6 feet on the ground have long been illegal to sell in Portland. Now, the prohibition extends to even “safe and sane” fireworks, such as sparklers.
Traditionally, Portlanders wanting to purchase more impactful fireworks cross the Washington border into Vancouver. But on Tuesday, Clark County preceded Portland by banning both the sale and use of fireworks.
Commissioner Hardesty thanked Wheeler for enacting the ban.
“Climate change has brought unprecedented heat & dry conditions to our City,” she wrote on Twitter, “and responding to this danger requires extraordinary measures.”