| Stash of illegal fireworks confiscated in Darke County State Fire Marshal investigators seized 3,942 pounds of illegal exhibition class fireworks in Darke County on Wednesday, July 1, that were stored on three separate properties, including one in a residential neighborhood. The fireworks, which initial estimates place at a retail value into the tens of thousands of dollars, were destroyed upon confiscation pursuant to state law, said Shane Cartmill, public information officer for the State Fire Marshal’s office. Authorities are urging citizens to attend licensed, professional displays and take proper safety precautions when using legal fireworks at home. “Follow the law and make sure the fireworks you’re using are legal and you’re igniting them in a safe manner,” Cartmill said. Safety measures are even more important this year as fireworks industry leaders are anticipating an increase in sales and use across the country. “Historically when the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday, sales go up because consumers celebrate with fireworks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association. With the struggling economy and high travel expenses, people are more likely to stay at home and use their own fireworks, she said. “People are looking for a distraction from what’s going on in the world right now, and fireworks provide that escape in an inexpensive way,” Heckman said. She predicts consumer fireworks sales will reach $960 million by the end of 2009, a 10-year high and 2 percent increase from last year. Ohio law prohibits the use of fireworks that are not trick and novelty items, such as sparklers, snaps and smoke bombs. Firecrackers, bottle rockets and Roman candles as well as other exhibitor fireworks can be purchased legally in Ohio as long as the purchaser signs an affidavit stating the fireworks will be taken out of state within 48 hours. . . . | 
