Doctors are calling on parents to keep their children away from fireworks this holiday weekend, citing the thousands of injuries reported last year.

“We know that sales of fireworks increased in 2020, as did injuries, so parents and caregivers need to be vigilant this Fourth of July and leave any fireworks to the professionals,” said Dr. James Dodington, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention.

Emergency room visits due to fireworks-related injuries increased across all age groups by more than 5,000 from 2019 to 2020, according to the 2020 Consumer Product Safety Commission report. Of the total 15,600 injuries reported in 2020, 1,100 were under the age of 5, 1,400 were 5 to 14, and 1,300 were 15 to 19.

Most of the injuries were to the hands and fingers, but others were to the head, face, and eyes. The leading sources for injuries are firecrackers and sparklers, the report said. Handheld sparklers, which some parents perceive as less hazardous than fireworks, burn at about 2,000 degrees, hot enough to melt glass and certain types of metals.