Wildfires have become the norm during the dry and hot summers in the West. This year, however, Utah Governor Spencer Cox says, is not like the others. Facing unprecedented fire conditions, fireworks will be restricted across Utah through July 5 under an executive order the governor has signed granting the state forester special powers.

“The default will be no fireworks,” Cox said in a news conference on Thursday surrounded by a few mayors and public safety workers, a burn scar at the their backs. “But every mayor with every fire warden in the state can decide where fireworks are OK. I hope that every city will designate a spot where people can come and light off their fireworks, and do so safely with our fire officials.”

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Tighter restrictions and enforcement are coming to the state amid an especially dangerous season that has seen more than 354 wildfires already, including the Cottonwood Fire, likely Utah’s most destructive fire, having scorched over 70,000 acres in Beaver County since it started on Monday — with no end in sight.

More than 75% of the wildfires in the state have been human-caused this season, according to the governor’s office. And, about 94% of the state remains in severe or extreme drought this year.

“Those trees there, they look the same as they’ve looked every other year,” he said, pointing at trees near the University of Utah campus, which recently saw a large fire burn the nearby mountainside. “But they’re not, they’re dying inside, they’re Roman candles just waiting to be lit.”

With so many fires burning across the state, fire fighting resources are running thin, Cox said.

“If on July 3, 4, or 5 we have multiple starts in this valley, we’re screwed, OK? That’s It. Nobody to respond,” Cox said. “This is not just big government, this is like life or death stuff.”

The order is temporary and will be reassessed before Pioneer Day, when fireworks are also a tradition in the state.

With a state of emergency declaration, the governor is able to suspend a portion of statute to allow the state forester to ban fireworks throughout the whole state. But, that ban can be overridden by local governments, which, Cox hopes will designate areas where fireworks can be lit.

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Still, the governor lamented seeing fewer fireworks this summer.

“We want people to celebrate. Please go buy fireworks. Buy fireworks from your local vendors. These are small businesses, often local families. This is their one time a year to sell fireworks. Go buy fireworks,” he said. “If it means we have to have a special fireworks day in November, we’ll do that.”

The Utah Legislature doesn’t traditionally favor fireworks bans. But this time, Cox said, legislative leaders have expressed support for the order.

“There are some legislators that disagree with this. I understand that, I know they don’t want any restrictions anywhere. I totally get that, but again, and I would not do this if it wasn’t the worst possible situation that we’ve ever seen,” Cox said.

Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason also warned that as fire danger is this high, offenses ranging from “everything from reckless burning, to illegal encampments, to illegal firework usage” will be enforced.

“Law enforcement across the state will put every resource towards catching and screening charges against those individuals responsible,” Mason said. “Again, it’s just not worth it. You can be held criminally liable, you can be held financially liable, and parents, you can be held liable for the actions of your children.”

Mason also urged Utahns to pay special attention to wireless alerts dispatched during emergencies.

“When those go out, they have been vetted, and there’s a process, so you know when your phone goes off with that wireless alert, it is serious,” he said. “It is time to take action and be prepared.”