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According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Reedy Creek Fire & Rescue IAFF Local 2117 president Tim Stromsnes has stated that the emergency workers have been putting out more brush fires than usual due to the fireworks. Walt Disney World is controlled by Reedy Creek, which is the taxing district that “provides government services to the resort.” Multiple brush fires have been caused by the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular fireworks display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which premiered a little less than a year ago on June 17, 2016.
Stromsnes blames three major factors on the brush fires. First, he says that the area needs more sprinklers, secondly that the area “didn’t clear enough land” when they built the fairly new site to launch fireworks, and lastly because Florida has been dealing with “extremely dry conditions.”
There have been about 30 brush fires in the past two months. Stromsnes says “It’s taxing our staff…We’ve been out there for hours upon hours with multiple fires going on.” Orange County has already issued a temporary burn ban due to the extremely dry conditions. This forbids the use of fireworks except for firework displays, like the displays put on by the theme parks. In 1998 Central Florida had dry conditions causing multiple wildfires, which lead to Disney suspending the firework displays. Currently, there are no plans to suspend the fireworks displays due to the dry conditions.
Stromsnes questions Disney’s logic asking why they have put a ban on campfires, but are okay with shooting pyrotechnics into the sky saying, “How can people not cook hot dogs and hamburgers and have a fire at Fort Wilderness, but can keep shooting off fireworks and causing multiple brush fires?”
Credit: Orlando Sentinel
