The Grand Junction Police Department was called out to a significant amount of more fireworks complaints this 4th of July than in previous years.

2011 complaints:            2012 complaints:

July 3rd - 37                     July 3rd - 5

July 4th - 64                     July 4th - 117

July 5th - 17                     July 5th - 6

Kate Porras with the Grand Junction Police Department says they attribute the higher number of calls this year to the heightened awareness of the fire ban and to the higher than normal concern for public safety.

Porras says officers responded to as many of the calls as possible. All of the calls they responded to were either cleared with warnings, or there was nothing there when they arrived.

With the Grand Valley so dry, the B.L.M. has declared more Stage II fire restrictions, including public land within Montrose, Delta, Gunnison, Ouray, Saguache and San Miguel counties.

So the major time for fireworks may be behind us, but you still can't start a campfire, use a charcoal grill, smoke a cigarette outside or go off-roading unless it's an established road.

Mesa County and federal lands are also under the same restrictions.