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As millions of Floridians get ready to set off some fireworks this weekend, the state has a word of warning. As Matt Galka tells us, 4^th of July fun can turn into something much worse if people aren’t careful.

Fireworks that light up the sky are synonymous with the red white and blue’s birthday, but each year, the exploding entertainment sends about 5,000 people to the hospital. Customer Destin Benson says he keeps the stat in mind every July 4^th.

“I’ve got children so I’m usually the one who lights them so we get back pretty far away and make sure nobody gets hurt, I make sure everything’s cleared, doesn’t hit my neighbors houses and stuff,” said Benson just after he purchased a large amount of fireworks.

Florida law bans fireworks that fly through the air or explode but a loophole allows customers to still buy them. Rockets can be purchased for “agricultural purposes.”

Fireworks vendor Victoria Osborne said because she can sell the items that explode, she needs to take the time to teach safety.

“It’s a really big deal for us, you know, it’s not that hard to just take those few minutes, I always ask somebody if they’ve ever done mortars, if they’ve done firecrackers, if they’ve ever done anything that they’re getting. I’ll do a demonstration,” said Osborne.

The department of agriculture says that along with keeping yourself safe, fireworks can cause plants and houses to catch fire in an instant.

“Fireworks, obviously, are firepower. When you shoot a firework off it can land on your roof of your house, it can land in the brush of your yard, so we really encourage people to watch out for that when they’re using fireworks,” said Department of Agriculture Press Secretary Erin Gillespie.

The State Fire Marshal’s office says to keep a fire extinguisher and water bucket handy when lighting off fireworks this weekend. They also recommend dousing all used and “dud” fireworks in water after use and only lighting one off at a time.