SEATTLE - A volatile mixture of very warm temperatures, dry conditions and fireworks is making firefighters nervous across the region.

The National Weather Service in Seattle has extended a "red flag warning" for an elevated fire danger through midnight Sunday in much of Western Washington.

"Citizens of Western Washington should be extremely cautious with fireworks and any fire sources such as campfires this Independence Day weekend," the warning says. "Any spark in the currently dry grasses, shrubs and forest fuels could become an out of control fire very quickly."

This holiday is such a worry for so many fire departments that extra staff and personnel were brought in.

And fire crews are braced for worse problems in the hours to come, because it's so incredibly dry, no matter where you look.

"Even the parking strip and everything is brown and ugly," says Vaughn Ward, an Issaquah homeowner who's worried about the fire potential.

He's lived at his small home in the heart of Issaquah for 63 years, and he says he's never seen it so dry, so soon, with so much that could go wrong.

"Especially on the Fourth of July, being surrounded with the all the greenery and the mountains. And, who knows what in the hell they're going to be firing up in the air, and where it's going to land when it comes down."

When the summertime fireworks erupt - that's a big concern for a lot of homeowners.

But this year, the threat of fires and damage just might keep people up at night - possibly all night - watching their roofs, and checking for trouble.

Western Washington is already a full month ahead of the typical start of the fire season. Making matters worse - our region has had no significant rainfall since May 19 - six weeks ago.

That's after one of the wettest, snowiest winters on record.