Hawaii fireworks explosion kills three, injures two dozen

Honolulu police responded to a severe firework explosion in the early morning of New Year’s Day that injured over 20 people and ultimately killed at least three. The explosion in a residential neighborhood left adults and children with severe burns and shrapnel wounds, Honolulu Police Chief Joe Logan said Wednesday. Twenty-three adults and three minors—a one-year-old, a three-year-old, and a 12-year-old—were hospitalized. Two adult women died at the scene, and another 23-year-old woman later died from her injuries, he added.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green described the scene as grotesque with brain material scattered across the sidewalk by the blast. The explosion sent fragments flying into neighboring homes and cars, and left victims with warzone-like injuries, Green said at the press conference. Victims could suffer lung burns, he added.

How was such an intense blast triggered in a residential neighborhood? Surveillance footage and witness statements showed someone lit a pack of aerial fireworks on a driveway outside a New Year's party in a nearby carport. The firework pack tipped over and shot into the carport, setting off additional crates of more fireworks, Logan said. The investigation will continue and authorities may criminally charge individuals in the case, the police chief added.

Are large aerial fireworks a problem in Hawaii? Despite strict laws governing fireworks, Green described their use as an ongoing issue for islanders. Authorities intercepted over 40,000 pounds of fireworks over the last year, and another 187,000 pounds the year before, Green said. Law enforcement will never catch every illegal shipment, he said. Green proposed enacting legislation to make it a Class C felony if someone is caught with over 50 pounds of illegal fireworks. Defendants would face up to 5 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines, he said.