Fireworks pros keep watchful eye over Ravenswood show - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A major Indianapolis fireworks show came off safely Tuesday night.

The Ravenswood fireworks tradition along the White River is an annual event. It's put on by a professional fireworks company.

Because of dry conditions and a ban on private fireworks, the pros took extra precautions for Tuesday's show. A fire truck hosed down fields around the launch zone to keep the grass wet and unable to catch fire from falling embers.

Firefighters stood by in a pumper truck and patrolled the fields on foot, watching for any sparking.

"After the show is done, we'll be here an extra hour, hour and a half, just watching, making sure something doesn't catch a spark," fireworks expert Bud Smith said. "The other side of the river, we'll have other people watch out for any kind of spark, anything that would go off."

Smith's family has run the presentation for over 40 years. Pointing to an array of fireworks tubes, he said, "these racks are set that if a shell would not make it, it would drop into the river as normal."

For amateurs who might try lighting fireworks despite the ban, Smith says to leave them alone.

"In a normal neighborhood, there's not much distance between houses. Everybody needs to be very cautious. Fireworks can be very safe if you respect them. If you're trying to prove a point with a firework, you're probably one of the most dangerous people there is, 'cause you're dealing with, basically, dynamite," he said. "Don't light your own in these conditions, whatsoever."