At least four people have died and around 20 others were injured when illegal fireworks blew up in a house in Hawaii almost exactly as the clock struck midnight for New Year’s Day.
First responders say they first got 911 calls at a minute to midnight — as videos online show the sky around the Salt Lake-Aliamanu area of Honolulu lighting up in a huge explosion.
Two people were declared dead at the scene, with the death toll later rising to four, according to a report by Hawaii News Now.
At least 18 others were also hospitalized, officials said, with others still fighting for their lives.
At least two people have died and 22 more people have been injured in a fireworks accident in Hawaii in the early hours of New Year’s Day. wendwardwylin/Instagram
First responders with the police, fire department, and EMS are on the scene of the deadly blast that took place in the Salt Lake-Aliamanu area of Honolulu. wendwardwylin/InstagramRescuers said that the fireworks exploded outside a house — with Mayor Rick Blangiardi blaming “illegal fireworks.”
“It is with both frustration and sorrow that I address the tragedy,” the mayor told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
“A massive explosion caused by what appears to be illegal fireworks claimed at least three lives,” he said — before the tally rose to four — and “left over 20 others critically injured.”
At least two people have died and 22 more have been injured in a fireworks-related incident in Hawaii Wednesday. HawaiiNewsNow“This incident is a painful reminder of the danger posed by illegal fireworks, which put lives at risk, drain our first responder resources, and disrupt our communities.”
Officials have yet to elaborate on exactly how the fireworks blew up.
One local told Hawaii News Now that he heard a low explosion before he started to see first responders arrive on scene.
“I heard what seemed to be a low blast and I turned my phone to see what was going on and it was a low blast and then five to 10 minutes later a lot of commotion ambulance, fire, police,” the man said. “It was pretty tragic.”
Emergency medical workers set up on scene to tend to those with the most severe injuries and sent them off to local trauma centers.
The Honolulu police have urged people to avoid the area of Keaka Drive while they provide care and security. wendwardwylin/InstagramHonolulu EMS Director Jim Ireland said the incident is like “nothing I have ever seen in EMS.”
“Some of the folks who were here who have been to war, who have been in combat, said it reminded them of things they have seen in combat,” Ireland said.
The injuries included burns and “blast-type injuries,” officials said.
The Honolulu police hours after the tragedy said the “scene remains closed” and said the investigation into the incident was still underway.
There were multiple 911 calls in Honolulu for fireworks-related injuries beginning just before 10 p.m. and continuing until after midnight, including for a 14-year-old boy with a hand injury after a firework went off while he was holding it.
Medical workers at the scene suspect the deadly incident began after a firework went off in the hand of a 14-year-old boy, according to a report by Newsweek.
