Nine people were hurt at a city fireworks show in Avon, Colorado, Friday when a bank of pyrotechnics misfired, authorities say.
The event, touted as a “salute to the USA,” went awry only half way through the planned half hour show when a rack of three shells tipped over and shot toward the crowd instead of into the air.
The local NBC News affiliate reported that attendees watching the fireworks were in some places shoulder to shoulder and running away from the misdirected shells wasn’t an option for many.
“There was not a lot of room in between groups of people, so when it happened no one could really get up and run. It was so scary,” a woman attending the show told the media.
City authorities said that nine people had minor burns and abrasions. The incident is still under investigation.
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