A day after Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared a statewide drought emergency, one of the state’s largest mountain town firework shows for Fourth of July has been canceled.

According to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the decision has been made to cancel the Steamboat Lake State Park Fourth of July fireworks display in collaboration with North Routt Fire Protection District and the Routt County Sheriff’s Office. For those who have been in Colorado during previous drought years, this probably isn’t too surprising. Reasons cited for the cancellation were drought conditions and the impact to already strained local resources.

“Despite recent moisture, it has not been enough to make a difference given this year’s low snowpack,” said CPW Deputy Regional Manager Jacob Brey. “This was not an easy decision to make, but one we knew was necessary given the extreme drought conditions.  We recognize all of the efforts put into planning this fireworks display, and we look forward to working with local agencies, the community and fundraisers to shift our planning efforts to next year when we hope to have more favorable conditions.”

While this particular fireworks display comes with an added layer of safety considering that fireworks are launched from an island in the middle of a lake, there’s still serious concern that any stray ember could spark a blaze. By cancelling the firework show, it will also free up emergency personnel to respond to other issues in the area that may arise.

The public display of fireworks has quite a bit of history in the Steamboat Springs area, with Guinness World Records recognizing a 2,797-pound firework that was launched during the city’s 2020 Winter Carnival as the largest aerial firework shell in history.

The cancellation of the Steamboat Lake State Park fireworks display likely foreshadows more cancelations around the state to come. Per the most recent report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, about 93 percent of the state is experiencing drought.

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