Fort Worth/Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) – Fort Worth’s fireworks show had to be canceled Monday night a few minutes after it began. The city had been billing the show on Panther Island Pavillion as the largest in north Texas. However, fires broke out along the Trinity River banks as soon as hot debris from the exploding fireworks began landing on the extremely dry grass. The show’s organizers then said the rest of the event was canceled, and urged everyone to go home.
In fact grass and brush fires erupted all across the metroplex Monday night caused by Fourth of July fireworks. Hundreds of calls were reported during the night. Fort Worth Fire alone said it had responded to more than 150 grass fires by 10:30 PM, and that number doesn’t include the grass fires on Panther Island.
Dallas Rire-Rescue also reported hundreds of grass fire calls, and said firefighters were hampered in at least two cases by nearby residents shooting fireworks at them as they tried to put out the fires.
Because of lingering drought and hot conditions Tarrant and Dallas Counties are each under burn bans.
