Fireworks accidents over the July Fourth holiday weekend have left several people dead and others injured across the United States, with a number of separate mishaps now under investigation. What is meant to be a celebratory night turned dangerous in several communities, as authorities reported deaths, injuries, fires and other incidents linked to fireworks over the long weekend.
In Chino, in Southern California, fireworks exploded outside a home, killing a woman and injuring three other people. A car nearby caught fire and was left engulfed in flames. The incident was among the most serious of the weekend and added to a series of fireworks-related emergencies that stretched across different states.
On Long Island, in New York, a man was killed in his backyard when a firework exploded, according to police. The death came despite repeated public warnings issued every year about the risks of handling fireworks, and it underscored how quickly a holiday tradition can turn fatal when devices malfunction or are used unsafely.
There were other losses as well. In Fresno County, an off-duty sheriff's police dog named Santee was killed after being spooked by fireworks and running into the street. Police said overnight that they were searching for the driver of the vehicle that struck the animal, adding another strand to a weekend marked by fireworks-related harm.
Several incidents caused panic without confirmed deaths. In Los Angeles, fans ran for cover at BMO Stadium after fireworks shot into the crowd following a soccer match, in what officials blamed on a malfunction. In Provo, Utah, fireworks sparked a large brush fire near Slate Canyon, forcing crews to respond to the flames.
Even professional displays were not immune to problems. In New York, a fire broke out on the Brooklyn Bridge during the Macy's fireworks show, one of the country's most watched Independence Day events. The mishaps at organised shows added to the sense that the weekend's celebrations had, in several places, gone wrong.
Investigators are now examining the various incidents as communities count the cost of the holiday. The accidents have renewed attention on the dangers of consumer fireworks, which safety officials caution about each year, and on the risks that remain even at large, professionally run events during the Fourth of July period.