Grilling safety tips for the Fourth of July

Fourth of July means three things-- family, fireworks, and food. And this holiday weekend means it's especially important to remember to practice safe grilling practices.

If you don't properly extinguish the grill, a wildfire can be sparked.

San Bernardino National Forest spokesperson, Lisa Cox, said the only place you can legally charcoal grill at is Jenks Lake picnic area or any hosted campground.

"Any sort of coal or anything that drops residually out of the grill, and you may not see it happen, or maybe you think you put it out with your foot or something, but it actually is has a high chance of smoldering for hours, days, weeks months, and it could actually turn into a wildfire and much much later on," said Cox.

If you want to grill anywhere else in the forest, you must have a propane stove with a fuel shutoff valve and a California campfire permit. If you're at a campground that doesn't have a camp host present, you cannot have a barbecue or a campfire that's powered by wood or coal.

If you're planning to stay close to home and barbecue in your backyard or at a local park, Cox said to make sure to bring lots of extra water and a shovel. You pour the water on the coals and use the shovel to stir them up.

"You want to make sure that you're not feeling any more heat coming out of [the coals]," said Cox. "If you feel heat, pour more water and stir it up more."

You have to keep pouring water and stirring until you can touch coals with your hand.

"A lot of times we like to barbecue in our backyards to or maybe our local parks. Those are our foothill areas that can easily and quickly turn- if a spark catches on some vegetation, it could turn into a wildfire very quickly," said Cox.

Cox stresses bringing enough water to put out the coals is important to preventing accidental wildfires.

Click here to learn more about the fire restrictions specifically in place in the San Bernardino National Forest.