KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The state of Missouri saw multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries from fireworks over the Fourth of July weekend.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating five separate statewide fires potentially caused by fireworks. Preliminary evidence reveals the fireworks were legally bought and owned in all five incidents.
A house fire on July 4 in Independence is being investigated as a fireworks-related accident, killing a 13-year-old girl and a man. A garage explosion that sent three people to the hospital in Sibley on July 4 was most likely caused by a large quantity of fireworks, according to the state fire marshal's office.
Another man was killed in a fireworks-related shed explosion in Joplin, Missouri, six people were injured in a neighborhood fireworks display in Leadwood, Missouri, and a Hannibal, Missouri, apartment complex suffered smoke and property damage from someone shooting off fireworks.
“To see the lives lost that we get this year, that elevates this," Missouri State Fire Marshal Tim Bean said. "It's devastating, we probably haven't seen the magnitude of this nature in several years."
According to Fire Marshal Bean, the department investigated one fatal incident in 2024. Zero incidents were investigated in 2023 and 2022.
"There's just a variety of things that probably weren't practiced in a safe manner that created these events," Bean said.
Across the metropolitan area, at least 143 people went to hospitals for firework-related burns. 26 children were treated at Children's Mercy Kansas City from the end of June to July 5. More than 60 people were treated for burns at HCA Midwest Health facilities from July 3 through July 6. And 57 patients were treated at The University of Kansas Health System, including a two-year-old child.
The director of the Burnett Burn Center at The University of Kansas Health System said fireworks can heat up to 2,000 degrees.
“Parents don't understand sometimes how hot even things like sparklers can get," Dr. Julia Slater said. "They are very dangerous, especially in small children that don't understand not to touch."
The number of patients treated at The University of Kansas Health System could increase over the next few days. Firework sales are legal in Missouri until July 10.
"Make sure you just follow basic firework safety," Dr. Slater said. "Don't give them to children. Keep children several feet away from them. Never hold anything that's lit."
Dr. Slater said that the injuries they've seen have already surpassed last year's totals in the number of injuries and their severity.
"We saw a lot of bigger burns this year," Dr. Slater said. "Year after year, it becomes easier to get bigger fireworks and that's why we see more and more of these injuries. It just becomes easier to get every year."
Within the three hospital systems that released firework-related burn reports from this weekend, there was a wide range, from minor mishaps to severe amputations. Dr. Slater explained that many of the injuries happened from not lighting fireworks safely.
“It’s just so sad, because I know that it was people that had really good intentions," Dr. Slater said. "They just wanted to have a little fun and just now have no comprehension with the fact that their life has now changed forever.”
Hospitals and the Missouri Fire Marshal's Office recommend to do the following if lighting fireworks:
- Never allow children to play with fireworks
- Make sure fireworks are legal in your area before setting them off
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby in case of an emergency
- Light fireworks one at a time, then back away quickly
- Only use fireworks in open spaces and not near structures
- Don't use fireworks while using drugs or alcohol
- Don't save fireworks from season to season
KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne covers issues surrounding government accountability, solutions and consumer advocacy. Share your story with Isabella.
