Julia Messier, 8, of Cromwell, Connecticut, holds sparklers over the rail beside the Connecticut River, July 4, 2004. Each year crowds swarm the park and the area around Middletown City Hall for the annual 4th By the River.

Only some U.S. states permit people to purchase or set off fireworks on their own; some states allow only sparklers, which are considered the safest consumer fireworks.

In late June some county officials in Tennessee, now in the middle of a drought, were worried that the use of consumer fireworks on the Fourth of July could pose a risk of fire. Two counties in the state already have banned their use for 2007 and other community lawmakers are encouraging fire chiefs to prohibit amateur Independence Day fireworks within their jurisdictions. (© AP Images)