Inspectors check safety of fireworks stands in S.L.

As Salt Lake fire inspector Wayne Leydsman surveyed the area inside a major grocery store that would soon hold sparklers and fountains and other fireworks during the Fourth of July and July 24 holidays, he methodically went over his list of more than 30 inspection points, checking each to make sure the store wasn't in violation.

The north-facing display initially got the thumbs up, though it was still in the process of being put together.

But as Leydsman turned the corner and looked down the aisle of the adjoining shelves, he was slightly taken aback by what he found: lighter fluid, lighters and charcoal for sale — right next to fireworks.

"That's going to be a problem," he said while smiling and remaining good-natured to the employees.

That inspection earlier this month was the start of Leydsman's annual visits to many of Salt Lake City's fireworks stands. Each year, Leydsman and others from the Salt Lake Fire Marshal's Office survey the city's nearly 100 fireworks booths and displays, both indoor and outdoor, to make sure they are up to code.

Retailers were allowed to start selling fireworks in Utah on June 19. Most didn't set up their displays in earnest until this week, however. In Utah, approved class C fireworks can be legally lit beginning July 1 running through July 7, before taking a break and starting up again July 21.

The goal every year is to educate stores rather than penalize them, Leydsman said. But each year, he finds a number of stands in violation of one or two points on his list, ranging from minor to major offenses.

One of the most common offenses is setting up a fireworks display in a parking lot too close to the main road, other cars or flammable materials. At least two outdoor fireworks booths that could not meet the requirement to relocate to a safer area were not able to open at all this year, Leydsman said.

At a Phantom Fireworks display in the parking lot of a grocery store near 2100 South and 2300 East, Leydsman is making a return visit after finding several areas that were in need of change a week earlier.

As he pulls up, employees are hanging the last signs informing customers to not smoke within 300 feet of the tent and that juveniles 16 and under are prohibited from purchasing fireworks without a parent.

There are a few more than 30 points for Leydsman to go over, including whether fire extinguishers are properly displayed, whether the stand is at least 25 feet away from dry grass and making sure employees are not sleeping at night in the same tent as their fireworks.