Ariz. town honouring fallen firefighters during all-day July Fourth celebration

PRESCOTT, Ariz. – There will be fireworks in the Arizona town still reeling from the deaths of 19 firefighters.

Officials and residents in Prescott remain in mourning after the tragedy at the Yarnell wildfire. But they insist the city’s longstanding tradition of over-the-top celebrations and fireworks will go on in a tribute to the lives lost.

Though much of the southwest remains a tinderbox, fire officials say they will be able to deploy the pyrotechnics safely, pouring water on the detonation area if necessary.

Meanwhile, a team of safety experts will begin examining the tragedy for signs of what went wrong.

Nearly 600 firefighters continue to fight the blaze, which has burned about 13 square miles. Hundreds remain evacuated and at least 129 homes have been destroyed.