While people spend the afternoon gathering for Fourth of July celebrations, Kevin Luckenbill and his team of pyrotechnicians are up at the top of “A” Mountain, also known as Sentinel Peak, setting up nearly 1,000 aerial shells.
Luckenbill is a head pyrotechnician with Fireworks Production of Arizona, licensed by the Tucson Fire Department to run the city of Tucson’s 29th annual fireworks celebration at “A” Mountain.
As a long-time Tucson resident, he watched the “A” Mountain fireworks show as a kid, but never imagined that 20 years later, he would be the one up there doing it.
“Public records show that this show first started in 1984, when they first started on ‘A’ Mountain, and it’s been a tradition ever since,” Luckenbill says, as his team of pyrotechnicians assemble frames with large tubes around him.
That tradition may look different in years to come, as this may be the final fireworks show as the city plans to move to a drone show for future years, the city stated in a news release.
Preparations for the fireworks show began around 1 p.m. as the pyrotechnicians unloaded equipment and set up large racks with black, orange and yellow tubes.
They check each rack to ensure they are in a good and stable condition before loading the tubes with different sizes of aerial shells.
“The first priority of all us out here is that it’s safety for us, safety for the environment, safety for the surrounding area,” Luckenbill says.
Later that evening, the majority of the shells will be ignited by hand to control the pacing of the 25-minute fireworks show.
The wildland crew from the Tucson Fire Department scouted out the mountain for several days before the pyrotechnicians began setting up on the fourth.
Marc Lewis, a TFD fire inspector, oversees the show’s preparations to ensure all fire safety measures are being followed and that crews are ready to respond to any incidents.
TFD took measures to be conscious of Buffelgrass, an invasive species that is highly adaptive to fire, and the wind’s direction while the wildland crew is set along the mountain during the show. Tucson Water provided trucks for the crews to spray areas on the mountain where the fireworks’ fallout could land. Another crew member operating a thermal imaging drone looks for spot fires and anyone who may be trespassing on the mountain during the show.
“We like to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks, and that may change in the future, but currently that’s what we’re doing,” says Lewis. “The Tucson Fire Department is up here to make sure it’s safe. It’s a city-sponsored event, so it’s our responsibility to ensure fire safety.”
As the wildland crew prepares to keep “A” Mountain and the surrounding area safe during the city’s official fireworks show, TFD responds to calls and incidents around the city on one of the busiest days for firefighters.
It can be a struggle to get staff in on holidays, says Paul Moore, TFD assistant chief.
TFD is facing a staffing shortage, while call and incident volumes have increased over the past few years, according to the department’s 2025 annual report. This puts pressure on available crews and resources to respond to emergency calls.
“We’ve taken measures to put some trucks in the right places, but it can and will lead to extended response times, so that’s concerning and we take it seriously,” Moore says outside the TFD Headquarters near downtown.
Staffing shortage numbers were higher than average for TFD this holiday, Moore said, and TFD had nine trucks out of service on the Fourth of July out of the 54 vehicles they regularly use.
“We have a saying that, ‘There’s no honor in going to a fire or medical call that could have been prevented,’” Moore says. “So I think the message here is to be safe, be safe with fireworks.”
With the show and fire safety preparations underway and the sun setting, people fill the streets around the MSA Annex in the Mercado District, near the base of “A” Mountain to find a spot to watch the fireworks.
Families set out folding chairs on the sidewalk, kids twirl with sparklers, couples walk hand-in-hand, groups set up blankets in truck beds and trunks, others climb onto the car roof for a better view.
Before the show begins, people set off small fireworks in the parking lot or light bigger ones from the road and vacant lots. The sounds of explosions, music from speakers, laughter and people shouting over the noise fill the streets throughout the evening.
At 9 p.m., the first fireworks explode over “A” Mountain. People cheer as the show goes on in an array of colors and shapes.
As people watch from the streets and lots in the Mercado, wildland firefighters hike around the sides of the mountain, monitoring and putting out spot fires that have caught from the embers.
In between the crackle and booms of the fireworks show, the echo of sirens can be heard in the distance as the fire department responds to calls around the area.
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