BUCKNER, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas teenager was killed and another was injured when their homemade sparkler bomb exploded before they could back away safely, authorities said Thursday.
The teens, who were celebrating the Fourth of July, used electrical tape to bind sparklers together and lit another sparkler to act as a fuse. The bundle detonated sooner than expected as one of the teens was placing a 5-gallon bucket over it, said Pete Richardson, Lafayette County’s chief sheriff’s deputy.
Wrapping together sparklers “makes a pretty awesome bomb,” Richardson said.
Both teens were taken to the hospital, where 17-year-old Justin Smith, of Buckner, died. Authorities didn’t release the injured teen’s name, but said he is in stable condition and from nearby Mount Holly.
Two other people witnessed the blast but were not injured.
Lafayette County is under a burn ban, which means fireworks are illegal unless a resident receives written permission to ignite them. Richardson said he didn’t know if the teens had permission to use fireworks.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
The teens, who were celebrating the Fourth of July, used electrical tape to bind sparklers together and lit another sparkler to act as a fuse. The bundle detonated sooner than expected as one of the teens was placing a 5-gallon bucket over it, said Pete Richardson, Lafayette County’s chief sheriff’s deputy.
Wrapping together sparklers “makes a pretty awesome bomb,” Richardson said.
Both teens were taken to the hospital, where 17-year-old Justin Smith, of Buckner, died. Authorities didn’t release the injured teen’s name, but said he is in stable condition and from nearby Mount Holly.
Two other people witnessed the blast but were not injured.
Lafayette County is under a burn ban, which means fireworks are illegal unless a resident receives written permission to ignite them. Richardson said he didn’t know if the teens had permission to use fireworks.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)