1 killed, 3 injured in Texas fireworks explosion

[displayfireworks1]

What I feared is on my browser homepage first thing this AM.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_4hzfao7is
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[Dion]

That is Terrible! How the hell did that storage mag blow like that?! Unstable comp. maybe?

[Playingwithfire85]

That's so sad. My thoughts go out to their families.

[PyroManiacs]

I wonder if mguerra knows anything...

[PyroJW]

It's a very sad situation. I received numerous calls and texts after this incident from concerned friends and family. I was setting my show up at the exact time this happened. I'd rather not go into details of what I heard happened. I wasn't there so it's all speculation at this point. I did get this in a email on the group.

http://www.texansunited.com/blog/comanche-kiwanis-club-builds-fireworks-legacy/

[displayfireworks1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytnuW0-rlRY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX06doCNcDA
It looks like the entire community is in morning. From the article it looks like there was a 23 year history on the display. I suspected those white boxes were for mortars and now we see that they are.
http://www.texansunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FIREWORKS-3.jpg
http://www.texansunited.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/FIREWORKS-1.jpg
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Here is a link to his obituary
http://www.comanchefh.com/fh_live/13300/13368/images/obituaries/2592130.jpg
http://www.comanchefh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2592130&fh_id=13368

[Adam PA Artist]

Its really sad especially when something we love so much can so easily hurt or kill us. I think sometimes i even forget how serious i should take fireworks at all times because even the licensed and the pro's as safe and experienced as they are can at times become victim's to terrible circumstances beyond there control. May the Lord Jesus bless his soul and comfort his family.

[PyroManiacs]

Nicely said, Adam!

[PGH_Pyro]

yeah lot of pyros drift away from remembering how close to lethal danger this hobby/craft/pursuit/artistry actually is.
stories like this keep me humble and laser-focused on safety and not letting anything ignite pre-maturely .

[wizard7611]

I bet the flash powder of a salute caused the explosion since it's very sensitive to friction. R.I.P Dr. Russel for trying hard to put on a display for his community but gave his life for it.

[PGH_Pyro]

pulling boxes against the bottom of the truck/trailer make static electricity sometimes . could've been that or could've been e-matching too close to other shells/cases.

[wizard7611]

How does that create static electricity and how would an electric match be out of its box? This is new to me. D:

[PGH_Pyro]

Friction .

[wizard7611]

Of course, but what I'm trying to say is why would an electric match be out of its box?

[Adam PA Artist]

Thanks.. Pyro1981

[PGH_Pyro]

my advice is just dont use e-match and hand-fire . you reduce the voodoo quotient , that way .

[PyroJW]

What a ridiculous statement. I would bet there have been more injuries and deaths hand firing. I am amazed how many companies still hand fire paid shows. I understand it's not in the budget for a lot of people to buy equipment to pin fire or for scripted shows but I'd rather have some distance when I do a show. Watching all these videos of hand light shows with dead & dark skies makes for a very boring show to the audience but that is just my opinion. I will say the show Dave did on the 4th, he had several shooters and they certainly did a decent job.
my advice is just dont use e-match and hand-fire . you reduce the voodoo quotient , that way .

[wizard7611]

You can't just hand fire everything though (unless you show is made up of shells only). You have to at least use some cues to fire things (which saves time going back and forth down the firing line).

[PGH_Pyro]

ive worked on plenty of shows (big large scale ones) that were entirely hand-fired with NO e-fire/pin-fire systems involved at all .

[displayfireworks1]

Fire official: We don't know what caused fireworks explosion

The investigation into what caused the firework explosion that killed one and injured four others on July 3, 2014 in Comanche is finally complete.

"The investigation regarding the cause of the fire and the explosion has been completed and the cause is undetermined," said public information officer for the Texas Fire Marshal's Office Rachel Moreno. "However, there were two factors that the investigation could not rule out. We couldn't eliminate the possibility of the electric match or friction from inserting the electric match from starting the fire."
The tragedy occurred while members of the Kiwanis Club were setting up a fireworks display on an athletic field near Comanche High School.
According to reports, a trailer full of fireworks was being unloaded when the explosion occurred.
Local Comanche chiropractor Dr. Russell Reynolds, 51, was killed and three others suffered serious burns. One man was treated for minor injuries.
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http://www.yourstephenvilletx.com/news/local/fire-official-we-don-t-know-what-caused-fireworks-explosion/article_ca5ff070-7b51-5592-8800-4fd6ba9d596b.html
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http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/04/article-2680084-1F5E8BAB00000578-835_634x357.jpg
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Again we see our friend the electric match is mentioned.
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[displayfireworks1]

I am going to bring this thread back because I have some on information on it. I know some people would rather just not talk about these events, however if we do not learn something from these events we may make the same mistake ourselves. I am in receipt of the fire investigation report. From what is reported the cause is either electric match or scissors. It appears the crew was placing the electric match directly into the lift cup of the shell. Several questions arose, can scissors make black powder ignite, can an electric match set off with static electricity or a cell phone?
While electric match is purported to allow fireworks to be set off safely from a distance, it is frequently the cause of many fireworks accidents. The entire report is 13 pages. I will attach two pages from the report, I redacted sensitive information. The report also states no salutes were used on this display.

[mguerra]

It seems they were not using a brass poke to pierce the lift cup. It seems they were not using ematch connector ports on the shells. The shells may or may not have had the ports. Let's be sure to use non sparking brass tools and ports when available.

[PGH_Pyro]

wow, i will never recall how intense it was when I took the PGI-DOC class and we did the shell hand-firing & etc.
they had a big 4?" salute pop at about head level, some short distance away . just a big bright blue flash and a shock-wave smacking over you.
that was enough to keep me aware for life of not letting that happen anytime soon .

[NWPA]

Always, Always, expect the un-expected. I don,t ever expect fireworks to do what they are supposed to do.

[displayfireworks1]

When I read the full report it is unclear how the electric match was placed. From the report some workers may have been placing the electric match into the cut quick match and still others were cutting directly into the lift charge and placing the match into the lift powder. There is mention of cell phones, static electricity, and scissors. Once the event occurred the deceased appears to have sought refuge under the open tailgate of the vehicle. Also mentioned is in prior years they would squib the shells and then place them into the mortars, this year they were squibbing and placing back into the box.
After consulting with ATF on the scene ,
from the report quote
"Based on my scene examination and input from ATF Agent XXXXX the point of origin was determined to be the six inch fireworks being handled near the rear of the trailer by XXXXX. The following items were eliminated: atmospheric static electricity, lightening, cell phone incoming calls, open flame, and incendiary. The following causes could not be eliminated: accidental activation of the internal fireworks fuse by friction caused by metal scissors during the process of installing the electric match".
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Since I am treading on new ground with this investigation report, I am ambivalent about posting the entire report. Certainly if posted a major amount of redacting will be required because the report mentions names . dates of birth and some phone numbers. Over the years there have been too many of these electric match events. The question is what do we learn from all of these accidents and how do we prevent them in the future.
If anyone opposes posting the full report please send email to pyrotalk@gmail.com. Otherwise it will post within 7 days.

[mguerra]

I assume this is and should be a public report in its entirety. It is in the interest of public safety to disseminate the findings. I believe the State Fire Marshall would agree.

[displayfireworks1]

This is the fire investigation report from the July 3, 2014 Comanche Texas fireworks accident. When you read the report, you may notice similarities to a typical fireworks event you may also be doing. Again, we see the “Electric Match” ignition may have been the cause of this accident. Please note I did extensive redacting on this report. I apologize in advance if I missed something.
A few days ago, I requested if anyone had an objection to my posting the report. To date no one has object, thus here is the report in its entirety.
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[displayfireworks1]

Continue
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[displayfireworks1]

Continue
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[PyroJW]

Could I get the original copy without the line items crossed out of sent to my email?

[displayfireworks1]

I'm sorry I do not feel comfortable doing that. My intent on this posting is to do a case study of a fireworks accident involving electric match. I worked hard and used various sources to obtain the report. We know from the news reports Russell Reynolds died at the scene. If someone is going to release the other names/addresses/phone/etc. it is not going to be me. I recognize from your post you are part of the Texas Fireants pyro club. I hope you can respect my decision.

[displayfireworks1]

Comanche ISD Honors Victims of Deadly Fireworks Explosion
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http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/media/lib/203/b/b/9/bb9a2208-d1b1-4330-86bb-06c1db8a1c75/Story.jpg
The Comanche Independent School District took a step today in honoring the eight men that were injured and killed last year during a fireworks explosion. Today a plaque was unveiled in order to allow the community to always remember their legacy.

"The concussion, the sound, the smoke...was overpowering," Superintendent Rick Howard said.

Howard, whose office is only a couple blocks away from the site of the accident, was nearby when the explosion occurred.

Last year's July 4th fireworks display was the 23rd year in the show's existence at Comanche. It was also a year of tragedy that ended the life of a beloved community figure.

"I think he was an inspiration to a lot of folks, and just the outpouring from the citizens shows that he touched a lot of people," Rick Reynolds, the brother of Russel Reynolds, said.

Today in honor of the man, a special ceremony was held where the incident took place. Earlier, the plaque was unveiled to the public to serve as a reminder of Dr. Russel Reynolds and those seven others.

"People will know years from now, what they did, and what he did, and how it affected his community," Rick Reynolds said.

Several community members attended the ceremony where not only the plaque was unveiled, but also the new name for the community baseball field, Legacy Fields.

The plaque will be placed on the front gate to Legacy Fields and will be the centerpiece of several other plaques to come.

"The selfless dedication of these volunteers to serve this community and their countless acts of support of the students in this district, are models for all who pass through this gate to aspire to follow. May the legacy of these humble servants be honored and followed from this day forward," Rick Howard said.

Rick Reynolds is very happy with the community's support.

"That [support is] just something that has made all of this more bearable knowing that so many people grieve along with us and so many people support us and what's going on," Reynolds said.

The legacy that these eight men left behind will always be remembered in Comanche, Texas.

The Comanche ISD says there will be no fireworks display this year as the incident is still being felt throughout the community.

Full link
http://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/story/d/story/man-killed-in-comanche-fireworks-explosion-is-hono/20055/Tf3AJ0qReUW-rsEe--bNaA

[wizard7611]

Nice job Dave! Thank you for allowing me to read this report.