Hurley fireworks has 'unfortunate incident' Saturday night

By STEVE NEWMAN

news@yourdailyglobe.com

Hurley — Hurley’s annual Independence Day fireworks suffered a setback Saturday night when one of the fireworks malfunctioned and a portion of the device went off among the crowd of spectators.

According to Fireworks Committee President Mike Fontecchio, who was assisting fellow Hurley Fire Department members with the fireworks exhibition, a “cake box” of fireworks malfunctioned.

The “cake box” of fireworks has a single fuse, but many fireworks are attached inside it, he said. Usually the box of fireworks should go up into the air and explode, but in this case the box broke apart and some individual lit components escaped out into the area. One piece of the “cake box” landed among the crowd and went off.

The Hurley Police Department was on site and called for Beacon Ambulance to come on the scene.

There were unofficial reports of injuries, but no official police reports have been distributed yet.

Fontecchio said those shooting off the fireworks did attach and detonate the fireworks properly.

He said that the Hurley Fire Department was in touch with the manufacturer regarding what happened, and called it an “unfortunate incident.”