‘We’re going to have fun’: Fourth of July fireworks sales boom in Pahrump

PAHRUMP — Fireworks sales are booming in Pahrump as the Fourth of July draws closer, while Metropolitan Police Department officers attempt to bust people illegally transporting fireworks across county lines.

In Clark County, fireworks are only legal to use when labeled as “safe and sane” and purchased through a licensed vendor. These kinds of fireworks include sparklers, fountains and any fireworks that do not fly through the air.

In Nye County, where Pahrump is located, laws allow vendors to sell any kind of federally approved consumer-grade fireworks. According to local law enforcement, fines for possessing illegal fireworks in Clark County range from $500-$10,000, depending on the weight of the product.

Entering and exiting Pahrump, drivers encountering signs on the roadside reading “Illegal fireworks banned in Clark County,” warning against transporting any fireworks purchased across county lines. At least two Metro vehicles were parked along the Pahrump Valley Highway on Thursday afternoon, monitoring the vehicles entering from Nye County.

Inside some of Pahrump’s fireworks shops, shelves are lined floor-to-ceiling with colorful and reflective boxes with firecrackers, roman candles and other firework varieties. Customers browsed the selections, with some cramming backseats and truckbeds with over a thousand dollars of fireworks.

At Red Apple Fireworks, CEO and founder Douglas Burda said he’s expecting more than 10,000 customers from around the world to come through his store to purchase fireworks this Fourth of July season. The shop sells over 300 kinds of fireworks, housing many in its 60,000-square-foot warehouse.

In Pahrump’s Phantom Fireworks store, two officers with the Nye County Sheriff’s Office stood at the entrance greeting customers. Kellie Mendenhall, the store’s general manager since 2019, said they’ve hired law enforcement as guards “for many years” to keep the store and its customers safe. The building was brand new, Mendenhall said, opening its doors just a week and a half ago.

Some customers, such as Crystal Martinez, a stay-at-home mom from Las Vegas, made the purchasing process a family affair. She said this marked her third time driving to Pahrump to purchase fireworks, and she brought her three children along to make decisions about which fireworks they’d buy for their Fourth of July trip to Moapa.

“We don’t have a budget; we’re just grabbing whatever we see and like,” Martinez said.

Courtney Williams, a driver from Pahrump, did the same with his three kids, filling a cart with fireworks, including sparklers and bottle rockets, for them to enjoy this weekend. As a Pahrump resident, he said he believes most aren’t aware of Clark County’s more restrictive fireworks laws.

“Obviously people are going to do what they do, but I’m the type of guy trying to stay out of trouble,” Williams said. “We’re going to have fun though.”

Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.