12 Injured at Iowa July 4 Fireworks Display

by politisite | July 5, 2008 at 01:21 pm | 188 views | 1 comment

At least a dozen people suffered injuries when the fireworks display at last night's 4th of July celebration in Charles City, IA malfunctioned.

Fire Department spokesman Erick Whipple says something went wrong during the grand finale around 10:25 p.m. causing fireworks to explode in the crowd in the downtown area.

Whipple says in addition to the dozen people who were transported to area hospitals, more than 20 people suffered minor injuries.

ABC 6 NEWS was on the scene and spoke to several eyewitnesses who described the scene as chaotic and like a war zone. People reportedly scrambled for cover hiding behind vehicles.

Whipple says the incident lasted about 10 seconds and first responders arrived at the scene quickly. Nurses and doctors in the crowd helped treat victims on the scene. One nurse says she saw several people with extensive injuries to their legs.

There are also reports of people being treated for hearing loss.

The Iowa State Fire Marshall arrived on the scene Saturday morning to figure out what went wrong.