SALT LAKE CITY, UT (GOOD THINGS UTAH)- With Independence Day approaching quickly, it is officially firework season. While fireworks are a fun addition to any celebration, they are also unpredictable, can explode unexpectedly, and even go off in the wrong direction. Jeremiah Lefranca with The Red Cross joined us today to talk about firework safety. He says many people who are injured using fireworks are often inexperienced individuals using professional-grade, homemade or illegal fireworks. If you choose to use legal fireworks, the Red Cross urges following safety tips:

Sparklers are commonly used around the holiday and often held by children. But like fireworks, sparklers can become very hot and can cause burns and injuries.

Fireworks have the potential to cause wildfires. This is why it's important to follow the instructions on the packaging of each individual firework.

The Red Cross says fireworks can leave you with as little as two minutes to safely escape. They recommend practicing a two-minute home fire escape drill with your family and testing your smoke alarms - which can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.

For more information regarding firework safety, please visit redcross.org/fire.