Kids are taught not to play with matches, but during the Fourth of July holiday, many parents will put the largest match in their hands.
Sparklers can get hotter than 1,000 or even 1,200 degrees.
Before you say, "News flash: sparklers are hot, we know!" ask yourself if you know how hot a sparkler stays after it's lost its sparkle.
We went to the South Metro Fire Department training facility in Parker to test how hot a sparkler stays and for how long after it has burned out.
Using a thermal imaging camera, that shows the temperature of an object, the sparklers we tested got as hot as 900 degrees.
They were constantly in the 600-700-degree range while burning.
We were more interested with the temperature after the spark went out:
10 seconds: 380 degrees
20 seconds: 230 degrees
30 seconds: 172 degrees
40 seconds: 150 degrees
50 seconds: 136 degrees
60 seconds: 122 degrees
"I wasn't sure how long it would stay hot," said South Metro Fire Lt. Fred Halazon. "For that little piece of metal to stay hot that long, yeah, that's remarkable."
Just outside of the burn building where we tested the sparklers, a set of metal bleachers were baking in the sun. The thermal imaging camera read the seat of the bleachers at 120 degrees.
That means that one minute after the sparkler burns out, it's as hot as a quick burn from sitting on a hot metal bleacher or hot playground equipment.
"It's going to be enough, especially if you grab a hold of it tight, it's going to leave a mark," said Halazon.
At 122 degrees, the sparkler could also smolder if tossed into a grassy area or a trash bag.
While you know sparklers are hot, just remember to teach your kids not to touch them or put them on their clothes or in the grass as soon as they're out. Also, put them in water.
