Anchorage cancels Fourth of July fireworks due to extreme heat wave

The city of Anchorage, Alaska, canceled its July 4 fireworks display this week over an extreme heat wave.

The Anchorage Fire Department put out a burn ban and said that any use of fireworks could result in a fine.

“Just a reminder per MOA Code 14.70.180 it is unlawful to knowingly sell, possess, or use any explosive fireworks or stench bombs to which fuses are attached or which are capable of ignition by matches or percussion, without permission of that municipal official charged with issuing permits for such activities,” the department said in a statement. “Violation of this section shall be punishable by a civil penalty of $300.”

Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city by population, is expected to surpass an 85-degree temperature record, according to the National Weather Service.

“Southern Alaska’s ongoing #heatwave is expected to intensify significantly over coming week. Strength of high-pressure ridge at mid-levels of atmosphere may exceed all-time records over much of state. Surface temperatures may also reach all-time records in southern areas,” Daniel Swain, a University of California, Los Angeles, climate scientist, tweeted this week.