Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Fireworks Announcement to Come Friday in Kent

Fire chief waiting to see if rain forecast holds to make final call on fireworks show

Editor's note: this story was updated at 3:30 p.m. with comments from the fire chief.

It seems the rain that's fallen the past few days may help bring back Kent's annual fireworks show at Saturday's .

Kent City Manager Dave Ruller posted on his blog this morning that Kent Fire Chief James Williams will make a final call on whether or not the fireworks will remain .

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Williams said this afternoon that he is hopeful to make the call by 9 a.m. Friday.

"We will take some time first to evaluate the conditions at the launch site and then announce the decision," Williams said. "We are hopeful that we will be able to proceed with them given the amount of rain that we got but did not expect and the rain that we are suppose to get today."

Find out what's happening in Kentwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Williams canceled the show after the Ohio Fire Marshal's Office issued an extreme fire warning in light of the dry, hot weather across the state recently.

Since the closure of the Kramer Ball Fields due to the fireworks launch point was moved last year to the former RB&W site on Mogadore Road. The state fire marshal recommended doubling of the fall-out area of the fireworks due to the dry conditions, and that area included the ball fields that are inaccessible to firefighters and other emergency personnel.

"The chief is still worried about preventing a flash fire in the fields adjacent to the fireworks launch area but his comfort level definitely rose as the rain fell over the last 12 hours," Ruller said.

If the fireworks cancellation is not rescinded, there will be for the display.


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