Firework mishaps: Several people injured in Rexburg, one in Hamer

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — A firework explosion on Crest View Drive in Rexburg injured several people, sending some to the hospital with burns. It happened late on the July 4 holiday during a private, multi-family celebration. The firework is believed to have exploded outward instead of upward like it was supposed to.

"I've never heard boom quite that deafening before," said Emma Valentine, a nearby witness. "It really scared me, and then it was really quiet. We saw a bunch of smoke, and then we started hearing screaming."

Witnesses say the scene after the explosion was very chaotic. Many people complained of burns, sore ears and poor vision. Emergency response personnel arrived to assess injuries and assist with the clean up.

"Several individuals were taken to the Madison Memorial Hospital and two juveniles were taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls," said Assistant Chief Gary Hagen with the Rexburg Police Department.

While it was less serious, there was also a mishap in Hamer. Half of the fireworks on their show trailer went off all at once. The trailer burned up and melted. One of the crew vehicles was also damaged by projectile shrapnel. Andrew Mickelsen saw the explosion take place.

"What happened last night — as best we can tell — is there was a catastrophic failure of some sort in the tube or in the firework itself that caused it to explode out instead of doing the normal explode up and give us those pretty fireworks," Mickelsen said.

The Torgerson family was seated at a family member's house watching the fireworks from afar. They say the explosion caused the structure to shake. At first, Mike Torgerson didn't even realize anything unexpected had happened.

"It looked like it was a great beginning, but obviously things went wrong and they weren't able to finish," Torgerson said.

The Hamer Fire Department was already on scene and immediately responded. Thankfully, most spectators were seated at a safe distance from the explosion. The shooting crew used electric ignition and was also at a safe distance. One minor burn injury was reported.

In a recent release, the city of Idaho Falls revealed that their fire department responded to 12 fires attributed to personal fireworks between July 3 and the morning of July 5. Twelve of those fires were attributed to personal fireworks. The department received 100 calls for service in total during that time.