9 Injured When Fireworks Explode in Crowd
<
AVON, Colo., July 4 (UPI) — Nine spectators were injured while watching a fireworks show when shells exploded into the crowd instead of the sky.
About 17 minutes into the 23-minute annual Salute to the USA show in the small town of Avon, located about two hours west of Denver, a shell in the middle rack of fireworks misfired and exploded in its tube, sending other shells into the crowd instead of the air.
“This is Avon’s 29th year of presenting one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in Colorado, and we have never had any failure in the production. It is wonderful news that the injuries were very minor,” said Deputy Chief Greg Daly, who oversaw the response.
Spectator Jane Imber said people were crowded together to watch the show so there wasn’t a lot of room to move.
“There was not a lot of room in between groups of people, so when it happened no one could really get up and run,” she told NBC News. “It was so scary.”
