OGDEN — Officials from the two biggest cities in Northern Utah say Independence Day weekend was relatively tame in terms of dangerous firework activity, but with fire conditions expected to grow more severe, they’re fixing a keen eye on July 24.

Legal fireworks use is suspended until July 22, but when festivities start again, fire crews will be on high alert. According to the National Weather Service, there is a seven-day “hazardous weather outlook” for several areas of Utah including the northern Wasatch Front.

Low humidity, dry vegetation and gusty winds, have created ideal conditions for new fires, the NWS says. Temperatures are expected to reach 96 degrees in Ogden by week’s end.

To help mitigate risk, several cities have instituted geographical restrictions on fireworks. Eastern cities with mountain foothill areas inside their boundaries have instituted bans, but so have cities further west, prohibiting fireworks in places like open fields, vacant lots, wooded areas and brush-covered hillsides.

State law allows fireworks between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. July 2-5 and July 22-25. On July 4 and 24, the legal hours are extended to midnight.

Ogden Fire Marshall Kevin Brown said although conditions were ripe for fire during the Fourth of July weekend, the fire department had a relatively small number of fireworks related calls. Brown said there were no significant fires, but the department responded to 12 calls on Saturday in which fireworks ignited trees or brush.

“In years past, we’ve had as many as 40 of those calls,” Brown said.

Layton Fire Marshall Doug Bitton said it was a similar scene in Layton.

“We had a heavily festive city — lots of fireworks,” he said. “But no injuries, no structure losses. I was proud of our citizens, especially considering the conditions we’re dealing with this year.”

In June, Ogden City banned the use of fireworks, matches or other ignition sources in the following locations: all areas east of Harrison Boulevard; all wooded areas along the Ogden and Weber River parkways; all of Fort Buenaventura, the city baseball park and dog park area, located off A Avenue; the old landfill at approximately 2550 A Ave., near the fort; and all open fields, vacant lots, wooded areas and brush-covered hillsides throughout the city.

By city ordinance, Layton has prohibited all fireworks east of U.S. 89 since 2004. The city has restrictions for several other, brush-covered areas throughout Layton.

Brown said he, along with a pair of brush trucks, drove around Ogden’s restricted areas during the holiday weekend. There were also a pair of police officers on duty, ready to issue citations when needed, he said. Brown said firefighters typically first issue warnings to people setting off fireworks in restricted areas, but if they fail to comply with those, tickets are given.

“Sometimes, people really don’t know (they’re igniting fireworks in a restricted area),” Brown said. “Not that ignorance of the law is an excuse, but we try our best to educate people first.”

Bitton said Layton takes a similar approach. The city has also designated Andy Adams Park, 1713 E. 1000 North, and Sandridge Park, 2555 N. Church St., for public use of legal aerial fireworks during the legal discharge period.

Aside from fire danger, the Utah Department of Environmental Quality says pyrotechnics also create short-term air quality problems.

In a piece published on the Utah DEQ website, Environmental Planner Christine Osborne said Ogden’s worst air day normally doesn’t happen in the winter, but on July 4, when particulate concentrations can jump to 20 times higher than normal.

Osborne said a 2015 study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration quantified the spike in fine particulate matter on July 4 using data from 315 U.S. air-quality monitoring sites over a 14-year period. The study showed that the average concentrations of particulates over the 24-hour period beginning at 8 p.m. on July 4 were 42% greater than on the days before and after the holiday.

As the July 24 holiday approaches, Brown and Bitton are encouraging citizens to follow the restrictions in place and be careful, even when discharging fireworks in a legal zone.

“We see the weather just getting hotter and drier,” Brown said. “So the conditions probably aren’t going to get better.”