One injured after Fourth of July fireworks show mishap in Arizona
Jul 5, 2016, 4:28 PM | Updated: Jul 6, 2016, 12:13 pm
(Screenshot)
(Screenshot)
PHOENIX — At least one person was injured Monday after a Fourth of July fireworks show went awry in a small town in western Arizona.
The accident happened during the annual Colorado River Indian Tribes’ fireworks display at Manataba Park in Parker, which sits on the Arizona-California border. A firefighter was injured after several fireworks appeared to explode either very close to or on the ground.
The status of the firefighter was unknown but the tribes said his injuries were not life-threatening and is expected to make a full recovery.
In a press release, the tribes said a defective firework was the cause of the explosion. After it failed to discharge into the air, firefighters attempted to secure all the remaining fireworks on the ground.
However, one canister of fireworks was open and was ignited by the defective firework, triggering a small explosion.
A video of the incident was posted to YouTube by viewer Katrina Roalson. (WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND POSSIBLY GRAPHIC IMAGES)
The video opens with the standard fireworks shots. About the 1:10 mark, some booms are heard before the camera pans down.
A few seconds later, several fireworks are shown exploding very close to the ground, silhouetting the cars in between the person shooting the video and the explosion.
After the initial explosions, another firework goes off while the woman filming says “I don’t think that was supposed to happen.”
