Residents in Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties will not be able to shoot off fireworks this year because of an emergency ban that has been extended to July 4.

Officials in Bexar, Comal and Guadalupe counties issued state of disaster declarations in June restricting the use of fireworks because of the severe drought conditions in the area.

Bexar County Commis-sioners Court unanimously declared a local state of disaster June 17, which laid the groundwork to restrict the use of fireworks in designated safe areas.

Comal and Guadalupe counties enacted their state of disaster declarations June 23 and June 24, respectively, which instituted a 60-hour ban on the sale and possession of fireworks in the county. At the request of officials in both counties, Gov. Rick Perry extended fireworks ban through July 4.

Anyone caught setting off fireworks outside of any designated safe area could be fined up to $1,000 or sentenced to 180 days in jail.

The prohibition on fireworks does not include any municipal fireworks shows that will be held during the July 4 holiday in such cities as Schertz, Seguin and New Braunfels.

Emergency management officials in both Comal and Guadalupe counties said the disaster declarations were needed because the Keetch-Byram Drought Index, or KBDI, was high in both counties. The KBDI determines the risk of fire in an area on a scale of 0 to 800, with 800 being the highest.

As of June 30, the KBDI in both Comal and Guadalupe counties was in the 700 to 800 range. According to National Weather Service data, the area is at least 10 inches below normal rainfall.