PROVO, Utah — Local authorities released a report Wednesday explaining how fireworks were shot into the crowd at last year's July 4 Stadium of Fire event.
In the middle of the fireworks show at LaVell Edwards Stadium on BYU's campus, attendees suddenly found themselves in the crossfire as fireworks were shot into the crowd.
In Tuesday's report, Provo City Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield said a total of 27 people were injured — up from the earlier number of 18. Among those injured were four people hit directly by projectiles. The others were injured when the fireworks exploded. Schofield also said they believe there may still be others who have not reported injuries.
VIDEO BELOW: Full press conference
Schofield said the mishap came from one device: a 36-shot "howling tails to hammer" product. It's designed to shoot off 36 "whistles" into the air in succession, each of which explodes at the apex of their flight. It was held in place by a sandbag, wedging it between bleachers toward the top of the seating area behind the south end zone.
The 36 shots in the box were fused in a chain, meaning once the first was ignited, all 36 would go off. Each shot is contained in a tube.
For an unknown reason, two of the tubes exploded in an uncontrolled manner. The investigation found that this occurred about 6-7 shots into the 36-round series. The explosion caused some of the remaining tubes to point in various directions — some horizontal and directly at the crowd. The force also pushed the sandbag out of place, about 3-4 inches.
After the device's failure, Schofield said it fired up to 22 "whistles." Some went in different directions, while others went into the crowd. He also said there were seven that did not go off.
The fire department shared several safety recommendations for future shows as a result of the 2024 incident:
- Require a more detailed product list in the permitting process
- This type of device should be labeled: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS SELF-PROPELLED ROCKETS
- Increase the recommended separation for this device to 800 feet
- NFPA 1123 should be updated to account for self-propelled devices
- Document training given to members of the pyrotechnical crew
- Establish a clearing house to report commercial fireworks mishaps for data collection
The full press conference can be watched in the media player above.
Video shared immediately after the incident at LaVell Edwards Stadium on the BYU campus went viral, showing fireworks rocketing into the stadium and onto the field where performers were located.
Of the 18 people who were injured, six were transported to the hospital, with one suffering serious injuries.
Teen dancer below shares what happened after being struck by Stadium of Fire fireworks:
The owner of Stellar Fireworks, who put on the Stadium of Fire show, told FOX 13 News on Tuesday that he had yet to see the report but did offer a bit of insight on to what it may contain.
"Stellar Fireworks cooperated fully with the authorities for the investigation," said company owner Andy Nguyen. "We do know that the supplier (importer/wholesaler) issued a voluntary recall on the products citing quality and performance issues following the incident."
