Local fireworks shops were jam-packed with customers looking to set off their Fourth of July with a bang in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

Pyro City in Edgecomb and Big Al's Fireworks Outlet in Wiscasset reported a significant increase in customers.

“It started picking up two weeks ago. We were getting about 20 people a day, but now we're seeing well over 200 people a day,” said Mike Jackson, the floor manager at Pyro City.

The average customer spends about $100 at Pyro City, but it is common to see someone spend $500 on fireworks in one visit, Jackson said.

Pyro City sells consumer fireworks as well as professional kits. The most expensive kit is $475 and is called “The Godfather.” It features 56 individual shells that explode at 200-feet in the air.  

Since Maine legalized fireworks in February of 2012, Pyro City opened five stores before July 4 last year, while Big Al's is getting their first taste of the holiday frenzy.

“We've been straight out since Monday. Compared to normal sales, we've probably increased our business by 10 times the amount of people,” said Jake Casavant, an employee at Big Al's.

Every purchase at Big Al's requires scanning the barcode on the back of a drivers license. “Even if someone appears to be 85 years old, we still have to scan them,” Casavant said.  

In Maine, customers must be 21 years old to purchase fireworks, while in other states the legal age is as low as 16, such as in Washington state.

Additionally, fireworks dealers must have a paved parking area and be located 300 feet from a gas station. Internally, sprinkler systems are inspected routinely, and store shelves have to be stocked 48 inches apart.

“We have fire marshals and law enforcement come around often,” Jackson said. “You can't just set up a shop on the side of the road.”

“In Florida, you can literally sell fireworks from the side of the road,” said Richard Taylor the senior analyst at the Maine State Fire Marshal Office. “In Maine we have more rules.”

From May 2012 to May 2013, the state raked in $380,000 in taxable revenue, Taylor said.

With the influx of explosives in Maine, 63 towns, including Wiscasset and Boothbay Harbor, have placed restrictions or completely prohibited consumer fireworks.  

Last year, 19 fireworks-related injuries were reported by the Maine Hospital Association compared to an estimated 8,600 injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2012, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.