LOWELL — A deadly fire in the Swiss Alps has reverberated across the ocean to Massachusetts where the state fire marshal issued an advisory earlier this month warning about the dangers of sparklers and other pyrotechnical devices.

“Please be advised that sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices, including so-called ‘cold spark’ pyrotechnics, are illegal for possession, sale, and use in Massachusetts without professional licensing, certification, and permitting,” State Fire Marshal Jon Davine said in an advisory titled “Sparklers and other pyrotechnics.”

The Jan. 6 notice was issued through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Department of Fire Services to all proprietors of restaurants, nightclubs, bars and discotheques.

The advisory was entered into the record by Lowell’s License Commission during its Jan. 22 meeting at City Hall.

The notice includes a ban on small sparklers that have been sold as novelties or party favors to accompany champagne bottles, which are believed to have caused the New Year’s Eve fire that claimed 40 lives and injured more than 100 people in the alpine village of Crans-Montana, Switzerland.

Davine said that the unlawful use of sparklers and related devices in the listed establishments would constitute a violation of the Massachusetts General Laws and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code and could pose a “grave life safety hazard to patrons and staff.”

The advisory is a timely one for the city of Lowell as it prepares to celebrate its bicentennial starting next month.

The celebrations kick off during WinterFest 2026, an outdoor festival in the heart of Downtown Lowell. The yearlong schedule of events includes many city-planned bicentennial activities that may draw crowds to private establishments capitalizing on the 200th anniversary.

The advisory notes that the so-called cold sparklers should never be used as decorations, party favors, or any other form of entertainment in the above-listed venues.

Like fireworks, so-called cold sparklers are illegal in the commonwealth, one of the few states to ban Class C fireworks such as sparklers, party poppers, snappers, firecrackers, spinners, cherry bombs and more. It is also illegal to transport fireworks into Massachusetts, even if they were purchased legally elsewhere.

Sparklers can burn at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and have been documented to cause serious and sometimes fatal injuries.

During the reporting period of 2007-2016, there were 826 major fire and explosion incidents involving illegal fireworks reported to the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System. The incidents caused 11 civilian injuries, five fire-service injuries and an estimated loss of $1.8 million, which MFIRS said was high since “most fireworks fires are outdoor brush fires.”

In that same time period, 49 people were treated at Massachusetts emergency rooms for severe burn injuries from fireworks (burns covering 5% of more of the body) according to the Massachusetts Burn Injury Reporting System. Fifty-nine percent of the victims were children and youths under age 25.

“These victims are scarred for life,” MFIRS said.

The public will have the opportunity to safely enjoy fireworks during Lowell’s bicentennial. The biggest fireworks the city has ever seen will light up the summer night sky on July 4. And a free October street festival will round out the celebrations with either a fireworks or drone show.

But for everyone else, Davine says to leave the fireworks to the professionals.

“If your establishment is in possession of such devices, please notify your local fire department immediately so they can safely dispose of the hazard,” he said.