A New Yr’s Eve fireworks explosion in a Honolulu-area neighborhood killed no less than three individuals and critically injured no less than 20 others, authorities stated.
“It looked like a war zone,” stated Honolulu Fireplace Chief Sheldon Okay. Hao.
The accident occurred simply earlier than midnight exterior a house, the Honolulu Fireplace Division stated in a press release. The neighborhood is close to Honolulu’s worldwide airport and a joint U.S. Air Pressure and Navy base and slightly greater than 2 miles east of the usS. Arizona Memorial, which honors sailors who died within the assault on Pearl Harbor that drew the U.S. into World Struggle II.
Two individuals had been declared useless on the scene, and the opposite victims had been transported to hospitals, in accordance with Honolulu Emergency Medical Companies.
A view of the house the place a New Yr’s Eve fireworks explosion killed and injured individuals, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Honolulu.
Marco Garcia / AP
An announcement from Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi put the loss of life toll at three and stated greater than 20 individuals had been critically injured.
“This incident is a painful reminder of the danger of illegal fireworks, which put lives at risk, drain our first responder resources, and disrupt our communities,” Blangiardi stated.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Inexperienced stated a number of youngsters below the age of 10 had been amongst these severely injured. He in contrast the drive of the explosion to a bomb.
“It was fireworks, but they were put together in a way that they were so explosive they took the table down, apparently, and then rocketed these fireworks into other caches of fireworks,” he stated.
“It appears that shortly after midnight, a person who attended the party lit an aerial cake, which is a container containing multiple aerial fireworks, in the driveway,” he stated. “The cake fell to the side and the aerial shot into crates that contained additional fireworks,” setting off the explosion.
The hearth division stated it was investigating the reason for the blast, and stated there was no hearth on the house. The victims weren’t instantly recognized.
A number of social media posts in a single day confirmed video of house fireworks being set off over a large swath of the town. Officers reported 4 different severe fireworks accidents unrelated to the blast.
Extra from CBS Information
