CHINO VALLEY, AZ- After meeting with Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority (CAFMA) Chief Scott Freitag and CAFMA Assistant Fire Marshal Andie Smith, Mayor Darryl Croft announced that the July 4th fireworks display has been cancelled.
The rest of the July 4th celebration, which includes live music and other attractions, will go on as planned, with gates opening at 3pm, activities beginning at 4pm and ending at 9pm.
Croft met with Freitag and Smith, along with several town leaders including council members Annie Lane and Lon Turner, as well as Chino Valley police chief Chuck Wynn, to discuss the pros and cons of moving forward with the pyrotechnics.
“I was not comfortable with the liability for the town in case one of these (fireworks) is blown across town,” said Croft following the meeting. Croft added that the town will explore bringing fireworks to a future event, possibly Territorial Days or the holiday celebration in December.
“I think Mayor Croft has made the appropriate decision,” said Smith. “There is no room for error in this fireworks show. Even though the site looks safe, even if the wind died down, there’s just no margin for error because the fire conditions are so bad.”
Freitag said he was pleased that the town sought input from CAFMA.
“I know this was a very difficult decision for him to make, but we are seeing historically dry conditions, something we haven’t seen in the past,” said Freitag. “Anything that goes errant, there is just no margin for error.”
The July 4th event is free to attend, including free admission to the town aquatic center and pool, but some attractions, including midway games, water features, and bounce houses will require a small fee.
Location: 1615 N Road 1 East
More information available at www.chinoaz.net under NEWS FLASH
Matt Santos
928-636-3607 v-mail
928-237-7259 cell
Twitter/Instagram: @CVAZTown
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