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SALT LAKE CITY -- At least 10 people were injured Saturday night near Liberty Park when professional fireworks malfunctioned and fell into the crowd. The Salt Lake City Fire Department is investigating how it happened.
The Liberty Park fireworks are actually shot across the street at the Herman Frank Park baseball fields near 700 East and 1300 South. Every Pioneer Day, dozens of people watch from behind home plate.
But this year, things quickly became dangerous.
People were running everywhere. These things were coming from all kinds of different directions. No one knew where to go.
–Richard Burrows
"It was coming right at me. I caught it out of the side of my eye," said Richard Burrows, who was injured by the fireworks. "I turned like this to get out of the way and it hit the fence and exploded and pieces of it came and hit me."
Burrows says a piece of shrapnel hit his cheekbone and another hit his upper arm, leaving a golf ball-sized bruise and burn. He also says he can't hear much from his left ear.
"I could hear this buzzing in my head and then it turned into a real loud ringing," Burrows said. "It stayed like that. I couldn't stand up very well. I didn't have any equilibrium."
Salt Lake City Fire Department officials say Burrows is one of 10 people who were treated for minor injuries. They say it's likely more were injured. Two adults were transported to the hospital with blunt trauma-type injuries.
Detectives say the malfunction occurred with a bank of four tubes containing six firework mortars each. They say the first tube failed and exploded, causing the other three to fall and release the remaining fireworks into the crowd.
People were picking up their children and running behind the building and looking really terrified.
–Cleah Shinkoskey
Eight to 15 mortars shot in all directions.
"People were picking up their children and running behind the building and looking really terrified," said Cleah Shinkoskey, who witnessed the accident.
Burrows says the crowd began to panic. "People were running everywhere," he said. "These things were coming from all kinds of different directions. No one knew where to go."
Shinkoskey says the whole thing was terrifying.
"It just looked like a war zone. We were behind the building and you could just see lights going off and explosions and people screaming," she said. "It was wild."
Scott Freitag with the Salt Lake City Fire Department says there are conflicting reports about whether Draper-based Lantis Fireworks and Laser continued with their grand finale after the accident happened.
The show was inspected last week and had the proper permits.
"All of the standards were followed as far as trying to protect the public," Freitag said. "In this event last night, it was extremely unusual."
Lantis Fireworks did not return KSL's calls Sunday. Freitag says anyone who was injured should call Lantis Monday to inquire about possible compensation.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
