By JOHN MCMILLAN
Advocate River parishes bureau
Published: Apr 24, 2007
GONZALES — Several children were slightly injured Saturday night, apparently by malfunctioning fireworks during the Ascension Parish Bicentennial Celebration at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Sheriff Jeff Wiley said Monday.
The incident occurred shortly after the pyrotechnic display began about 10 p.m., Wiley said.
“One part of the fireworks detonated late or stayed hot and landed in the crowd,� Wiley said.
One girl suffered a burn to her leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment; three others were frightened by the experience and were treated at the scene and released, Wiley said.
Names of those injured were not released.
The sheriff said an unexploded fireworks “ball� was found in front of the stage from which the fireworks were detonated.
That “supports the conclusion it came from the fireworks show and not any third party,� Wiley said.
Rocco Vitale, general manager of Pyrotecnico, the company which put on the display, said: “From everything we’ve seen, that did not come from us. All our equipment was intact; we feel it didn’t come from the professional display. We had no equipment failure.�
Pyrotecnico is a Pennsylvania company with offices in Mandeville.
Bill Owns, manager of the state fire marshal’s Mechanical Safety Department, said his office will have a report on the incident today at the earliest.
Advocate River parishes bureau
Published: Apr 24, 2007
GONZALES — Several children were slightly injured Saturday night, apparently by malfunctioning fireworks during the Ascension Parish Bicentennial Celebration at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, Sheriff Jeff Wiley said Monday.
The incident occurred shortly after the pyrotechnic display began about 10 p.m., Wiley said.
“One part of the fireworks detonated late or stayed hot and landed in the crowd,� Wiley said.
One girl suffered a burn to her leg and was taken to a hospital for treatment; three others were frightened by the experience and were treated at the scene and released, Wiley said.
Names of those injured were not released.
The sheriff said an unexploded fireworks “ball� was found in front of the stage from which the fireworks were detonated.
That “supports the conclusion it came from the fireworks show and not any third party,� Wiley said.
Rocco Vitale, general manager of Pyrotecnico, the company which put on the display, said: “From everything we’ve seen, that did not come from us. All our equipment was intact; we feel it didn’t come from the professional display. We had no equipment failure.�
Pyrotecnico is a Pennsylvania company with offices in Mandeville.
Bill Owns, manager of the state fire marshal’s Mechanical Safety Department, said his office will have a report on the incident today at the earliest.