By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Edwardsburg Argus
NILES - Fizzle, crack, pop and boom are all sounds you are likely to hear this time of year as the Fourth of July holiday approaches.
The sounds come from the countless fireworks being set off by those celebrating the holiday.
In a study done by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency an estimated 23,000 fireworks fires in 2002 caused approximately $35 million in property and 60 percent of those fires occurred during the month of July around the Independence Day holiday.
Consumer fireworks can be very dangerous and one way to avoid injury or fire is to attend public fireworks displays conducted by professional pyrotechnicians.
Vosburgh added that it seems in the past few years the number of calls the department has been getting for firework related incidents has gone down in the last few years.