Sunday, June 16, 1996

Fireworks Merchants Bracing For Dud Holiday Sales

Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - Fireworks merchants in Texas are bracing for a drastic drop in sales during the usually lucrative July Fourth holiday because of an expected ban on some products.

Gov. George W. Bush might impose a ban this week on non-professional aerial fireworks, such as bottle rockets, in Harris County and 15 other parched counties because of fears the devices could trigger fires.

The proposed ban would hit the most costly items distributors sell during the New Year and Independence Day seasons.

"The larger (businesses) will survive, but the smaller ones won't," said Sam Broadway, 34, whose AA Quality Fireworks in Alvin is one of the largest operations in the Houston area.

Royce Trout of Fort Worth, secretary-treasurer of the 24-member Texas Pyrotechnic Association, said the industry has agreed not to sell any aerial firecrackers. The self-imposed measure would not apply to "ground-based" devices such as firecrackers.

But local fire marshals in some areas are urging a ban on all fireworks.

"We want to try and remove ignition sources in this highly combustible period," Harris County fire marshal's chief investigator, Bill Anders, told the Houston Chronicle. "We're in an extremely dry condition."

Bush had banned all fireworks in Gray County in the Panhandle and was preparing to do so in 15 other counties when his plan hit a snag.

Attorneys for the Texas Association of Counties said Bush could ban aerial fireworks that pose an imminent danger in dry spots, but not ground fireworks that are more controllable and may not represent such a danger.

Spokespersons in Bush's office said the original ban is expected to be scaled back to focus only on aerials. That will lead to a debate on what constitutes an "aerial" firework.

Zack Sterns, whose Bastrop operation stocks 12 fireworks stands in Harris County, said he hopes just to break even this year if he cannot sell more-expensive items, including bottle rockets.

Sterns and other merchants said their inventories were already full for the June 24-July 4 selling season when they learned about the possible bans. Now they're scrambling to locate more ground-based fireworks.