PARIS – As hot, dry weather settles over most of Illinois, more towns are putting the brakes on holiday fireworks.

A handful of towns have cancelled public fireworks shows and Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert is checking to see if he can issue an executive order banning the use of fireworks. He says a City Council ordinance would take too long to take effect.

Harrisburg in bone-dry southern Illinois and Plainfield southwest of Chicago both have cancelled fireworks shows scheduled for next week. Officials in the southeastern Illinois town of Paris say that unless heavy rains fall before the holiday its fireworks are off, too.