The 4th of July fireworks and concert in Boston is recognized around the country as one of the biggest and best celebrations of America's independence. Here's what to know about the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular event Friday on the Charles River Esplanade.

"Disturbing roosting migratory birds at night can result in mass deaths," says Bateman. "Disturbing breeding birds can result in colony collapses. Seals and sea lions leave [affected] areas and expend energy swimming away during fireworks."

Fireworks spark deadly fire in California

At least seven people are missing after a fireworks warehouse in Northern California caught fire and erupted in a massive fireball. Families of those unaccounted for remain desperate for answers. NBC’s Stephanie Gosk reports for TODAY.

California has seen a spate of accidental fireworks explosions leading up to the Fourth of July with a Wednesday morning detonation killing 1 in a Simi Valley home and a similar incident critically injuring two people in a Bay Area residence.

A person was killed after an explosion at a Simi Valley home on Thursday; officials suspect fireworks were the cause. The girl plunged 45ft from the vessel’s fourth deck but it was not initially clear what caused her fall Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson suggested that at least two of the victims may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time A legal group co-founded by top White House aide Stephen Miller has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,