Carlsbad and Artesia enact bans on certain fireworks as drought worsens in Eddy County

Concerned about ongoing drought conditions, City of Carlsbad leaders continued a longstanding ordinance which placed restrictions on the sale and use of certain fireworks within the city limits.

City of Carlsbad Fire Chief Richard Lopez said the ordinance first adopted nearly 10 years ago prohibits use of aerial and ground audible fire works in Carlsbad.

City councilors passed a resolution May 24 extending the ban. Lopez said an ongoing drought in Eddy County — defined by the U.S. Drought Monitor as mostly exceptional drought, the highest class of drought in the Monitor — added more urgency in 2022. 

More:'We need rain': Southeast New Mexico wildfire risk grows as northern region burns

“Not only are we worried about personal safety, we’re worried about the drought conditions and what that could do,” Lopez said.

In April, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order urging New Mexico municipalities and counties to ban the retail sale of fireworks.

The request came as numerous wildfires burned throughout New Mexico and severe drought conditions persisted across the state, read an April 25 news release from her office.

“Fire conditions across New Mexico remain extremely dangerous – it’s essential that we mitigate potential wildfires by removing as much risk as possible,” said Lujan Grisham. “While many of us like to celebrate with fireworks, no momentary display is worth causing a wildfire that could threaten the lives and property of your neighbors.” 

Lopez said Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway and City of Carlsbad administration requested the ordinance stay in place as an effort to promote public safety.

The City of Artesia enacted similar measures May 24, said Mayor Jon Henry in a Facebook post.

More:New Mexico wildfires prompt congressional action from Democrats and Republicans

“This resolution is the same (Artesia) has used in previous years,” he wrote in the social media post.

Henry said the resolution banned certain fireworks within Artesia’s city limits that pose extreme fire danger in “environmental conditions such as ours.”

Aerial fireworks were prohibited with passage of the resolution. He said firework vendors in the City of Artesia have a framework to deal with once sales start.

“Waiting to pass this would cause issues for these businesses, not something we want to do," he said.

"This resolution is active for 30 days. This provides us with the opportunity to reevaluate the drought and fire danger situation prior to July 4th."

The City of Roswell did not enact any measures during the month of May, said Todd Wildermuth, City of Roswell spokesperson.

“I haven't heard it come up at all at this point. Don't know what the future holds, but that's where we stand now,” he said.

More:'There's a lot of risk': Southeast region braces for wildfires as blazes burn New Mexico

Drought remains long term possibility

Precipitation chances for the month of June looked low for most of New Mexico, including Eddy County, an outlook prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) indicated.

“It doesn’t look like we’re going to see any major (weather) pattern shifts in the month of June,” said David Munyan, forecaster with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Midland, Texas.

More:Global climate change report has implications for New Mexico drought, oil and gas

“The one-to-three-month precipitation outlook looks below average,” he said.

Munyan said NWS would have a better idea on July’s forecast toward the middle of June.

Carlsbad’s Cavern City Air Terminal received an inch of snow in February and a trace of precipitation in March, read weather data compiled by the City of Carlsbad.

No moisture was recorded in April by weather sensors at the Cavern City Air Terminal, according to City data.

NWS forecasted a 30 to 40 percent of thunderstorms in the Carlsbad area starting Wednesday afternoon through Friday night.

More:New Mexico needs better fire plans and policies

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter. 

Sign up for our newsletter, the Daily Briefing, to get stories like this one delivered straight to your inbox every morning. https://profile.currentargus.com/newsletters/daily-briefing/