VIDEO: California Fireworks Mishap Injures Dozens

By Mark Memmott

Published July 5, 2013 at 9:50 AM EDT

There were some terrifying moments Thursday night at the July 4th fireworks celebration in Simi Valley, Calif.

As videos from the scene show, something went wrong and a large number of the explosives detonated much too close to the ground. One such video is posted here.

The Los Angeles Times and other news outlets report that at least 28 people were injured. Fortunately, most of the injuries are said to be minor. The Times adds that:

"Police Cmdr. Stephanie Shannon said there is no indication of foul play and that the explosion appears to be an industrial accident."

Last year in San Diego, as some Two-Way readers may recall, 18-minutes worth of professional fireworks exploded all at once. Amazingly, no one was hurt.

Mark Memmott

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.

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