Phoenix Fire wants you to celebrate the Fourth of July safely

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Want to know why some fireworks are illegal in Arizona?

Check out this watermelon, or at least what's left of it. What about setting off fireworks right in your hand?

Don't do that, unless you're cool with a gruesome result.

The Phoenix Fire Department is showing these dangers up close and are hoping that seeing it for yourself will make the message stick.

"We're trying to make sure everyone understands that even though some fireworks are legal, they're still very dangerous," Fire inspector Brian Scholl said. "Even sparklers are dangerous."

But, what's legal? What's not? Does it change depending on where you're celebrating? Well, it used to, until two-years-ago, but now, the same rules apply everywhere you go.

"If it goes up in the air, which would be like a bottle rocket or roman candle, or explodes like a firecracker, they're illegal and you can't use them or have them in the state of Arizona," Scholl said.

No matter the legality, any spark can lead to this...

"There's a lot of concern because even the permissible fireworks; they get very hot," Scholl said. "They get in dry brush, it's going to go up in a hurry and then catch everything on fire."

The safest bet is just leaving the light show to the experts because even it you think you know what you're doing, fireworks can be unpredictable.

Even though a watermelon's fate seems to stay the same.

For more information, click here.