BATON ROUGE — From bottle rockets to aerial fireworks, Fourth of July fun can turn dangerous in an instant if the explosive devices aren't properly used.

"We know that there's still way too many injuries and deaths associated with fireworks,” Alex Hoehn-Saric, the chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said.

In its annual fireworks report, the CPSC found there were eight fireworks-related deaths last year—most from misuse and some from a device misfire or malfunction.

In that same period, fireworks injured an estimated 9,700 people, with 800 of them going to the emergency room, many with burns.

"About two-thirds of the fireworks-related injuries happened in the two weeks before and the two weeks after the fourth of July. So now it's especially important to take some steps to keep themselves safe,” Hoehn-Saric said.

The CPSC says the best way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to go to professional displays. But if you choose to set them off yourself, don't be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and have water handy in case of fire or other problems.

Kids should also be a safe distance away while lighting fireworks and setting them off. Even sparklers aren't safe in little hands.

"Sparklers burn about 2000 degrees. So that's as hot as a blowtorch. So those cause a tremendous amount of burns each year,” Hoehn-Saric said.

Finally, make sure you buy legal fireworks from reputable retailers only. The report shows that in the last fiscal year, about 18% of selected and tested fireworks products were not safety compliant.

"We want everybody to have a fun Fourth of July, but to do so safely,” Hoehn-Saric said.