GREEN BAY, Wisc. (SPECTRUM. NEWS) — Lt. Shauna Walesh holds up a child’s shoe.

There’s a gray-black scar across the bottom where the child stepped on a lit sparkler.

“If he had not been wearing shoes, this would have been a trip to the burn center,” the public information officer for the Green Bay Metro Fire Department says. “This would have probably been at least a second-degree burn under the foot.”

Public safety departments across Wisconsin are urging caution this weekend — especially as more people turn to at-home displays due to the pandemic. That’s part of why the Green Bay Metro Fire Department is highlighting the dangers of pyrotechnics like sparklers.

A demonstration of how clothes can catch fire from sparklers was part of a press conference Wednesday.

“Clothing is extremely flammable and sparklers get as warm as a blow torch. Think about that, especially with kids,” Walesh says. “We do not want kids under the age of five-years-old to use sparklers.”

Each year the Green Bay Metro Fire Department sees injuries from sparklers and other pyrotechnics — including burns and hand and finger injuries. 

Sparklers should be held away from the body and clothing under adult supervision. Sparklers, even those which fail to light, should be placed in a bucket of water when finished.

People planning to use fireworks should check with their municipality about local laws and permit requirements. For instance, anything that explodes or leaves the ground is illegal in Green Bay and requires a permit. Violators can face a fine of up to $1,000.

Police say they’re already witnessing an increase in the number of fireworks-related calls.

“Due to the dramatic increase we want to alert the community that fireworks are illegal,” says Cmdr. Kevin Warych of the Green Bay Police Department.   “We want them to make sure people leave the fireworks to the professionals. One, they’re dangerous and two they cause countless incidents of property damage and they really put kids and risk.”