This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
One person remained hospitalized Sunday with injuries from fireworks that shot into a crowd of people during a Pioneer Day celebration the night before, according to the Salt Lake City fire department.
A total of 10 adults and children were hurt when a line of commercial roman candles fired into a group of dozens of people watching the display at Herman Franks Park, 1300 South and 800 East, said fire department spokesman Scott Freitag. Most people were treated at the scene, though one other adult was also treated at a local hospital and has since been released.
The accident happened about 10:15 p.m., when the first of four fireworks tied in a line to a chain link fence inside the park malfunctioned and exploded in the tube, Freitag said. It caused the other three tubes to detach from the fence and shoot northward into the crowd. Each roman candle was a tube with six mortars inside; between eight and 15 shot at the crowd. Most of the injuries happened when people were hit by shrapnel from the explosions, though some people were burned and others were trampled when people ran.
Firefighters are investigating why the tube exploded and why it caused the other tubes to fall.
"If the tube that failed did not cause the others to come down, we would have been fine," Freitag said. Though the fireworks were shot off from Herman Franks Park, most of the approximately 60,000 people watching were in Liberty Park across the street. Those injured were at Herman Franks, sitting on the lawn outside the chain-link fence.
The display passed a Salt Lake City fire department inspection Thursday, Freitag said. The audience was about 30 feet further away than the standard required distance of 210 feet. The company that put on the show, Draper-based Lantis Fireworks and Lasers, is a longtime provider of fireworks in Salt Lake City, Freitag said. He could not remember another fireworks related accident in the city. Lantis did not immediately return a call for comment.
The show was controlled by a computer and a few more fireworks went off properly before organizers were able to halt it.
While Freitag said fireworks accidents are typically "very rare," several people also suffered minor injuries earlier this month when malfunctioning pyrotechnic device accidently sent fireworks into the VIP section of the audience at Provo's Stadium of Fire concert on July 4.
If you or anyone you know was injured in this accident and you would like to share your experience, please call reporter Lindsay Whitehurst at 801-257-8711.