Hawaii Governor Josh Green described the “extremely grotesque” scene he witnessed after an amateur tried to set off fireworks in Honolulu on New Year’s Eve, causing a massive explosion that killed three people and injured more than 20 others .
The unidentified amateur was in a residential parking lot with other New Year’s Eve revelers after midnight when he dropped a fireworks cake – a cluster of tubes that hold the rockets, Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said Wednesday.
An air grenade then fell into a crate of other fireworks, causing a huge explosion.
“Here is a person who as far as I know is not a professional, unprofessional in fireworks, and here we have a tragic loss,” Logan said.
‘Neighbours, families and friends have now died or are in hospitals due to apparent careless actions.’
Footage posted online showed a sudden series of uncontrolled fireworks explosions going off in rapid succession on the ground, unlike those in the air.
Another video shot at ground level showed the explosions causing chaos in the streets as people ran for their lives.
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and a 23-year-old woman also later succumbed to her injuries.
Twenty-three adults and two young people were also injured in the explosion, which Governor Green said left behind something of a “war zone.”
Hawaii Governor Josh Green described the ‘extremely grotesque’ scene he witnessed after an amateur tried to set off fireworks in Honolulu on New Year’s Eve
Police say the amateur pyrotechnics accidentally caused a massive explosion when an air grenade then fell into a crate of other fireworks
“The soft thing was you see one boxing glove and one Birkenstock shoe on a kid,” he said.
“The truth is that people had traumatic injuries so severe that there was brain matter on the sidewalk from the veracity of this explosion and we want people to hear that because that’s what’s really possible with these explosive fireworks.
“Now I know that people have the debate year after year after year, ‘Don’t take away our fireworks,’ – literally some of the people who died had injuries that were so tragic and traumatic,” the governor continued.
“We are talking about the worst possible war zone that took their lives, and will continue to do so if we as a society don’t take real action.”
‘It’s not just about losing a finger, these are extremely grotesque events and in the coming days it is very likely that some people who didn’t even look that bad will die because their lungs have burned out – and that is what is happening . to see when explosions happen right in front of you,” Green warned.
“So I hope everyone thinks about this because it will happen next year and the year after and the year after that if we as a society don’t stop the antennas in communities,” he said as he announced he was calling for ownership of fireworks over 50 pound is considered a crime.
Violations would be punishable by five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines under the governor’s plan.
Asked whether he would support a blanket ban on fireworks, Green said: “If that’s what it takes to save lives, we will pursue that.”
Green described the residential area hit by the explosion as a “war zone” at a news conference on Wednesday evening
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and a 23-year-old woman also later succumbed to her injuries
Under current law, aerial fireworks require a pyrotechnic permit, and officials have said it did not appear the person shooting the fireworks did so legally.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is also investigating the incident.
But that wasn’t the only fireworks-related accident to hit Hawaii on New Year’s Day.
In a separate incident, a 14-year-old boy was injured when a firecracker exploded in his hand in Kalihi district.
He was treated at the scene and then rushed to a trauma center for advanced treatment, Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said.
A third incident caught on film showed a police car being hit by fireworks and exploding underneath, but officers were able to drive through without injury.