Ti fireworks show injures five

By LOHR McKINSTRY
Staff Writer

July 06, 2008 04:00 am

— TICONDEROGA -- Five people were injured Friday night when aerial firework shells exploded on the ground during the Ticonderoga Best Fourth in the North fireworks display.
A crowd estimated at more than 2,000 people was watching the fireworks show when three 6-inch aerial shells blew up inside launch tubes at 10:40 p.m.
Another firework shell then launched into onlookers and detonated in a burst of sparks.
"Witnesses saw an explosion by the show and seconds later an explosion into the crowd," Ticonderoga Town Police Investigator Daniel LaFrance said.
The show was about three-quarters of the way through and was being staged from the field next to Ticonderoga Little League Park, while a Fourth of July carnival was under way in nearby Bicentennial Park.
A fireworks technician employed by Pyro Engineering Inc., part of Bay Fireworks of Farmingdale, Long Island, was seriously injured by the explosions, LaFrance said.
John M. Michalak, 42, of Argyle had a severe laceration to his right leg, and multiple burns, cuts and scrapes. He was taken by Ticonderoga Emergency Squad to Moses-Ludington Hospital in Ticonderoga, then transferred to Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington.
Michalak was listed in serious condition Saturday at the hospital.
He apparently lit a fuse on an aerial shell that exploded in its plastic firing tube, setting off two other rounds in their tubes and knocking over another tube that fired into spectators.
"That (shell) went southwest of the show toward Burgoyne Road and injured three civilians," LaFrance said.
A 16-year-old boy from Ticonderoga and a 16-year-old boy from Port Henry were both treated and released at Moses-Ludington Hospital, while a 40-year-old male from Bennington, Vt., refused treatment.
A female employee of Pyro Engineering was also treated and released at the hospital for minor injuries, while a third employee, a male, declined treatment.
Their names were not released.
Plastic tubes called mortars were being used to direct the firework shells into the sky from the staging area.
"There's a wooden rack that contains three Kevlar tubes," LaFrance said. "One of the workers ignited the fuse and it blew up on the rack, causing all three to be destroyed. Fragments of wood and plastic and fireworks went over a 200-foot radius. It was a chain reaction, and it knocked down other tubing and set off a firework into the crowd."
The people who were injured were about 500 feet away, he said.
He said the firm hired for the show had 15 shots to go before the finale. For safety reasons, the rest of the fireworks show was cancelled, he said.
Besides Ticonderoga Police and Emergency Squad, Ticonderoga Fire Department and Essex County Office of Emergency Services were at the site.
County Emergency Services Director Raymond Thatcher was in the crowd when the shells exploded and rushed to the staging area.
"We're very fortunate we didn't have fatalities," he said. "When I saw it go I knew there'd be serious problems. There was some serious firepower there.
"Ti fire and EMS were on the scene instantly. They did an excellent job."
Ticonderoga Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Watts was on-duty with fire apparatus at the entrance to the Little League Park when he saw explosions in the park.
"We were enjoying a great show when all of a sudden there were two blasts. One was about 100 feet south from where I was, and it was near the road where there was a large crowd of people. The other was near where they were setting the fireworks off.
"The one near me was a significant blast and everybody scattered, at which time myself and several other Fire Department personnel that were watching the show with us rushed over."
He said the North Country LifeFlight helicopter was called for Michalak and went into the air but had to return to base because of weather conditions.
LaFrance said police were at the location about two hours investigating, and returned there Saturday for a follow-up.
"It could have been a lot worse," he said. "The area around the show looked like it had been bombed."
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com