By PATRICK JOHNSON
Found it here: http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1159083970118370.xml&coll=1
SOUTHWICK - Eight undetonated professional fireworks shells were found last week on the Southwick-Tolland Regional School District athletic field after a groundskeeper accidentally exploded another one while mowing the grass, said Fire Chief Don Morris.
"He said it sounded like a tractor tire blowing up," Morris said.
The groundskeeper was not injured and the tractor with an attached mowing deck was not damaged, Morris said Friday. But the discovery led to a careful search of the fields, resulting in discovery of eight more of the undetonated shells left over from a recent public fireworks display. The shells are approximately 1½ inches in diameter, Morris said.
They are designed to be shot into the sky, where they explode in a burst of color. The ones found in the field were duds when originally used, he said. The shells posed no danger to anyone finding one of them unless the person realized what it was and tried to light it, according to Morris. After last week's incident, the athletic field was searched multiple times and, "Every time we thought we had them all, we found another one," Morris said.
The lawnmower then found and exploded another one, he said. Located off Powder Mill Road, the field was the scene of a fireworks display on Sept. 8 as part of the annual Fireman's Carnival. The field was searched for unexploded materials immediately after the fireworks display and again the next morning, he said. Organizers of the annual carnival may have to develop better practices for checking the field after the next fireworks display, Morris said.
A 600-foot buffer zone separated the fireworks launching area and the carnival, and all of the unexploded pieces were found within the zone, he said.
The unexploded shells were turned over to the fireworks display company for disposal, he said.
Found it here: http://www.masslive.com/hampfrank/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1159083970118370.xml&coll=1
SOUTHWICK - Eight undetonated professional fireworks shells were found last week on the Southwick-Tolland Regional School District athletic field after a groundskeeper accidentally exploded another one while mowing the grass, said Fire Chief Don Morris.
"He said it sounded like a tractor tire blowing up," Morris said.
The groundskeeper was not injured and the tractor with an attached mowing deck was not damaged, Morris said Friday. But the discovery led to a careful search of the fields, resulting in discovery of eight more of the undetonated shells left over from a recent public fireworks display. The shells are approximately 1½ inches in diameter, Morris said.
They are designed to be shot into the sky, where they explode in a burst of color. The ones found in the field were duds when originally used, he said. The shells posed no danger to anyone finding one of them unless the person realized what it was and tried to light it, according to Morris. After last week's incident, the athletic field was searched multiple times and, "Every time we thought we had them all, we found another one," Morris said.
The lawnmower then found and exploded another one, he said. Located off Powder Mill Road, the field was the scene of a fireworks display on Sept. 8 as part of the annual Fireman's Carnival. The field was searched for unexploded materials immediately after the fireworks display and again the next morning, he said. Organizers of the annual carnival may have to develop better practices for checking the field after the next fireworks display, Morris said.
A 600-foot buffer zone separated the fireworks launching area and the carnival, and all of the unexploded pieces were found within the zone, he said.
The unexploded shells were turned over to the fireworks display company for disposal, he said.