Equipment defect blamed for Etna fireworks mishap
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A defective fireworks display is believed to be the cause of an accident during Etna's Light-Up Night on Friday that injured nine people.
According to Doug Taylor, president of Zambelli Fireworks, which was running the show, one of the ground-effects fireworks displays failed.
He described it as a "cake," which includes a series of 2-inch tubes. Generally, the tubes shoot 75 feet into the air. But on Friday, he believes that part of the "cake" fell apart, causing the tubes to fall over and shoot into the crowd.
"Everything was going beautifully," Chief Greg Porter said. "The event went off without a hitch."
But then, the tubes fell over. The first hit a car on Bridge Street. The second one went into the crowd, Chief Porter said.
"It was immediately chaotic," he said. "People were running, stampeding."
He believes six tubes misfired, with at least two fireworks exploding in the crowd.
Nine people were injured, but none of them seriously. The chief said it was remarkable there weren't more serious injuries.
The distance between the crowd and the area where the fireworks were set up was between 400 and 500 feet -- well beyond the distance required, Mr. Taylor said.
Zambelli has used that particular product hundreds of times, he said, and never had a problem.
Chief Porter said the borough and Zambelli have a good relationship, and Mr. Taylor reiterated that. He went to the scene of the accident shortly after it happened and met with both the fire and police departments.
"We're obviously concerned about those who got hurt," Mr. Taylor said. "This was much less of an issue than it could have been. This is not the big aerial shells we shoot up in the air."
First Published November 30, 2009 12:00 am
