St. Charles’ fireworks show could be postponed or canceled after this summer’s spell of dry heat created a fire safety concern.

Erika Young, park district public relations and marketing manager, said fire and park officials met earlier this week to discuss the safety of the event, scheduled for Wednesday night in Pottawatomie Park.

“This is something we have to consider because we haven’t had any rain,” she said.

Officials will make the call Monday and post the announcement on the park district website – www.stcparks.org – and alert media outlets, Young said.

“We don’t want to have people on the Fourth of July (wondering) are they going to have them, are they not going to have them,” she said.

The fireworks are set off on Boy Scout Island, which is an area that juts out from the land along the Fox River, near a boat launch. Because the area is so close to the park, other landscaping, a golf course neighborhoods and the downtown, Young said officials are worried about fire safety.

Assistant Fire Chief Joe Schelstreet said because the ground is so dry, even the smallest spark could set off a fire, explaining how earlier this week, a cigarette butt caused a fire that burned a 50-foot path in a yard.

The department has had an unusually high number of calls for brush and grass fires so far this summer, he said.

If weather conditions aren’t safe to set off fireworks – which cost about $25,000 – the show could be rescheduled for a later date, or the cost could be put toward a larger, expanded show next year, Young said.

Even if the fireworks are canceled, the celebration surrounding the show will go on, including musical acts and food vendors, she said.

kthayer@tribune.com

Twitter: @ChicagoBreaking