22/08/2026
🔥 FIREWORKS, WILDFIRE RISK & SOME MUCH-NEEDED PERSPECTIVE 🎆
The current spell of exceptionally dry weather has understandably raised concerns about fire risk across the country. As a professional fireworks company, we take that risk extremely seriously.
But we also believe the public conversation around fireworks needs some perspective.
Following the Government’s recent national emergency alert, members of the public were advised against activities including disposable BBQs and fireworks. The result has been an almost immediate knee-jerk reaction, with professionally planned displays being cancelled across the country — even, incredibly, displays taking place over water.
Of the many significant fires we have seen reported this summer, only one instance is suspected to have been associated with a member of the public misusing fireworks, and we are not aware of any wildfire being attributed to a professionally managed fireworks display.
There is an enormous difference between somebody setting off fireworks irresponsibly in tinder-dry surroundings and a professional display being planned, risk-assessed and operated by experienced people.
Professional display companies assess ground conditions, weather, wind direction, fallout areas, surrounding vegetation and access to firefighting equipment. We have the knowledge, equipment and experience to determine whether a display can safely proceed and what additional measures are required to prevent a fire establishing.
And sometimes that professional assessment will be that a display cannot safely go ahead. That is exactly what competent risk management is about.
What is concerning is seeing venues and organisers cancelling displays regardless of the individual circumstances, sometimes seemingly more concerned about a vocal minority on social media than listening to the professionals actually responsible for managing the risk.
The Fire Severity Index is already beginning to decrease in many areas. Yet the damage to our industry has happened almost overnight. Carefully planned work has disappeared following broadly worded public messaging, while there is unlikely to be an equally prominent national “all clear” when conditions improve.
For professional fireworks businesses, recovering from this could take weeks or months of conversations with venues and organisers — and some displays may simply never return.
That matters.
Fireworks remain an enormously popular part of British celebrations, enjoyed safely by millions of people at public events, weddings, festivals, community celebrations and traditional occasions every year.
Risk should be managed intelligently, not eliminated through blanket reactions.
If conditions genuinely make a display unsafe, it shouldn’t happen. But where experienced professionals can demonstrate that an event can proceed safely with appropriate controls, they should be allowed to do their job.
Support professional fireworks. Support properly managed displays. Support the traditions and events you enjoy.
Because if the silent majority remains silent while a small but extremely vocal minority campaigns against them, we shouldn’t be surprised when those traditions eventually disappear.
