One woman was killed and nine others were injured in explosions related to fireworks in neighboring counties in western Michigan, according to officials.
An errant mortar apparently shot sideways into a crowd of spectators in Allegan County on Monday, and then a fireworks explosion in Park Township killed a 43-year-old woman from Holland within 30 minutes of each other and no more than 30 miles (48 kilometers) apart.
The Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the woman was pronounced deceased at the scene on Main Street in Park Township once emergency personnel arrived. The news announcement did not specify whether or not the explosion happened at a public celebration of July Fourth.
The tweet below verifies the news:
A fireworks explosion in western Michigan killed 1 woman and injured 9 other people https://t.co/1nnAdEVAya
— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) July 4, 2023
They rushed nine more victims to local hospitals. The report also noted that several local homes and automobiles had been destroyed. The cause of the blast is currently being examined. About 18,000 people call Park Township home. Approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Grand Rapids, it sits on the edge of Lake Michigan.
Around 10:30 p.m. on July 3, a mortar reportedly launched horizontally and landed among a crowd of spectators during Allegan’s Jubilee fireworks display over the Kalamazoo River. Officials have not commented on whether or not anyone was hurt.
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“It was absolutely terrifying,” Amy Cummings said to MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. I awoke to the frightened screams of children. Four people were hurt, two critically, in another explosion late Saturday in a Kansas City suburb.
According to a statement released by Chief Todd Maxton of the Northwest Consolidated Fire District, fireworks were exploding when firemen arrived at the scene of a reported shed fire in Lexington Township, Kansas.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 11 people lost their lives in 2016 due to fireworks. About 10,200 persons were seen by emergency medical services. The period around July 4th accounts for almost 75% of all injuries.
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