Chadron council bans sale and use of consumer fireworks for 2026 amid regional wildfire activity

The City of Chadron council voted unanimously to ban both the sale and discharge of consumer fireworks within city limits for the 2026 season.

Fire Chief Brand Martins told the council that nearby large wildfires and the continued deployment of firefighting resources make allowing fireworks too risky this year. “If we do something in the city of Chadron, it puts kind of an island and it's going to make it more difficult for law enforcement and the sheriff's to… figure out how we're going to facilitate that,” the chief said, adding that a single lightning strike had produced multiple starts in a recent regional fire.

Council members discussed enforcement, vendor impacts and the broader regional context; members noted neighboring counties were taking similar steps to restrict fireworks. One councilmember said the choice was difficult for vendors but necessary to protect firefighters and reduce the chance of new starts while teams remain committed to large fires.

A motion to amend Resolution 2026-40 to ban both sale and use of fireworks in 2026 passed on a unanimous roll call (Alexi, Anderson, Klein, Shepard, Graves voting yes).

The ban is implemented by the amended resolution and local ordinance authority; the council discussed that fines and court costs are set by the court and that education and public-notice efforts will be needed to inform residents and vendors of the change.

Councilmembers closed the discussion with thanks to firefighting crews and encouragement that the community find alternative Fourth of July activities; fundraising for a drone show tied to Fur Trade Days was mentioned as an option for public events.