The fourth of July weekend is finally here, and any lover of fireworks is fast approaching Defcon 1.

If you happen to be a fireworks fan like myself, and thoroughly enjoying spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in some cases on your pyrotechnics, good for you. Welcome to the club.

Most people are content with over the counter, commercially sold things that go boom. But, there are others that crave a bigger, better, bang, and that's when the Sioux Falls Bomb Squad gets called.

Sioux Falls Police again want to remind residents not to attempt to modify your fireworks the consequence could be extremely dangerous. 

Sgt. Tim Hagen, Bomb Squad Commander for the Sioux Falls Police Department says, they often see a handful of these cases each year around the fourth of July holiday.

Altering your fireworks essentially makes them an improvised explosive device, says Hagen. Even the slightest bit of tampering can cause them to become volatile, resulting in injury and even death.

According to Hagen, "Usually if something is placed somewhere where it's not supposed to be and it doesn't go off and they don't know if it's alive or not and whoever finds it, then we get called out on it or if some of the street officers stop a car and it's got a bunch of sparkler bombs and they don't know what's all contained then we get called out to assist them."

If you need another reason not to modify your fireworks, the Sioux Falls police want to remind you that possession of an explosive or device with intent to injure, intimidate, or destroy property is a class 3 felony in South Dakota. Getting caught could land you a fine in the neighborhood of $30,000 and up to 15 years in prison.

Then you'll be looking at an entirely different kind of bang! Hello!

Source: KDLT TV

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