Restrict Fireworks
The Evidence for January 2009
Jan 1, Arrest as firework
hurts crowd, BBC News
A police officer and several
onlookers were injured when a
man threw a firework into a crowd watching
Aberdeen's Hogmanay street party.
Grampian Police said the man
threw the firework just minutes after midnight, as revellers watched the
celebrations at the city's Castlegate.
Police said they were
investigating the incident.
A 27-year-old man has been
arrested and is in custody. He is expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff court
on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Grampian Police
said they were pleased that the Hogmanay street party attracted a sizeable
crowd and that "the vast majority entered into the spirit of the occasion
and behaved very well".
Superintendent Adrian Watson
said: "I am delighted that the event was so well attended and those that
came along enjoyed such a great entertainment line-up."
He said there were relatively
few arrests, mainly for alcohol-related public disorder.
Jan 1, Arrest as firework
hurts crowd, BBC News
Jan 1, Cooper City man
killed in New Year's Eve fireworks accident, Miami Dade
William Turner told friends
he preferred to stay at home, play it safe, and avoid the ''the crazies'' on
New Year's Eve.
Instead, the 41-year-old man was mortally wounded at his Cooper City
home while lighting a professional-grade, mortar-type firework just a few minutes after midnight, according to the
Broward Sheriff's Office.
''He wanted to stay away from
the crazies, and the craziest thing in the world happened,'' said Turner's
next-door neighbor, James McGuigan, who was with Turner minutes before he set
off the powerful rocket.
Police believe his wife,
preteen son and little girl were inside the house when Turner lit the deadly
missle, which got lodged in his thigh.
Paramedics took Turner to
Memorial Regional Medical Center in Hollywood, where doctors later pronounced
him dead. BSO spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion said it was legal for Turner to buy
the professional-grade fireworks but not to use them.
''It is legally sold on the
streets, however professionals are the ones who are supposed to use it,'' she
said.
BSO's bomb squad was called
out to the home at the 8700 block of Southwest 51 Place to retrieve additional
fireworks after the accident.
Police said investigators do
not suspect foul play.
McGuigan said he and Turner
were together in the cul-de-sac in front of Turner's home until just before
midnight. Both men had a few drinks and lit up small firecrackers, he said.
Turner did not appear to be
inebriated, he said.
McGuigan said he left his
friend just before midnight. He was informed of his friend's death Thursday
afternoon.
''The guy was like a brother
to me. He was a great friend,'' he said. ``I'm real shook up about this.''
A woman believed to be
Turner's wife answered phone calls at the residence Thursday morning but said
the family was not willing to speak.
Although thousands of
fireworks-related injuries are documented in the U.S. every year, few actually
result in deaths directly attributed to fireworks, according to a 2008 report
by the National Fire Protection Association.
In 2006 alone -- the latest
year with data available -- 9,200 such injuries were treated in U.S. hospitals,
the report stated. Between 2001 and 2005, an average of 6 people were killed
per year.
Jan 1, Cooper City man
killed in New Year's Eve fireworks accident, Miami Dade
Jan 1, Fireworks cause
fire at nightclub, BBC News
About 400 people had to be
evacuated from an Edinburgh nightclub after indoor pyrotechnics set fire to plastic netting stretched
across the ceiling.
The netting melted and fell
on to the crowd below, slightly burning two women and a member of staff.
They were treated at the
scene but were not taken to hospital.
The fire broke out on the
ground floor of the Luna nightclub in Picardy Place, just after midnight. Fire
officers are investigating.
Jan 1, Fireworks cause fire
at nightclub, BBC News
Jan 1, Hazy safety in
Bangkok party zone , BBC News
Bangkok is a party town, and
spectacular New Year celebrations are held in many of the clubs which have made
the city's nightlife renowned around the world.
The Santika was a spacious,
two-storey club, stylishly decorated like a mock gothic cathedral, complete
with fake arches and a large cross hung from the ceiling.
A natural magnet for
partygoers, it had become one of Bangkok's most popular entertainment venues,
packed out with young Thais and foreigners at weekends.
A friend of mine was on the
dance floor shortly after midnight, when he first noticed the fire.
He told me he had seen small fireworks being tossed
from the stage to celebrate the New Year -
then noticed flames around the stage and creeping up to the ceiling.
Suddenly, he said, the flames
seemed to be everywhere, and the lights went out.
He described people stumbling
towards the single entrance, trying to light their way with their mobile
phones.
Life or death
The crush, combined with the
intense heat and smoke, drove him back, and he retreated to the women's toilet.
Jammed in there with around
40 others, he spoke for what he thought would be the last time on his phone to
his girlfriend who was outside.
Fortunately the fire brigade
managed to get into the burning building and guide them to safety.
Those trapped in the men's
toilet were not so lucky.
The scenes outside the
burning club were just as horrific, as people screamed for help from the
burning windows, and bruised and burned survivors staggered out into the car
park.
Just two hours after the fire
broke out, the Santika was a smouldering shell, with dozens of corpses wrapped
in sheets lying on the ground.
The police say it will take
up to two weeks to establish the cause of the fire, but already one police
officer on the scene has described the fire precautions at the club as
"sub-standard".
That may turn out to be an
understatement.
Shadowy underworld
The new Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva has already expressed his disbelief that fireworks could have
been allowed inside a building packed with perhaps 1,000 partygoers.
But I doubt many other
residents of Bangkok will be so surprised.
Eyewitnesses say the Santika
had only one known exit, a ceiling lined with inflammable material, and no
emergency lighting.
If so, it will have been no
worse than the hundreds of other clubs in this city, that open and close and
then re-open again, sometimes under different names, with bewildering
frequency.
Bangkok's dance clubs, like
most of its famous nightlife, inhabit a shadowy, twilight world of hazy,
loosely-enforced regulation and under-the-table payments to mafia-type figures.
Elements of the police and
army are believed to make substantial sums of money out of the club scene
through protection rackets.
Safety inspections are rare
or non-existent.
Perhaps the shocking death
toll at the Santika will provoke the authorities to look harder at safety in
their well-known night spots - an important part of Thailand's appeal to
foreign tourists.
But an informal and
laissez-faire approach to law-enforcement and safety is commonplace in many
other aspects of life in Thailand.
It will almost certainly take
more than one tragedy to change that.
Jan 1, Hazy safety in
Bangkok party zone , BBC News
Jan 2, Revellers injured
in ‘firework blast’, Evening Express
A Police officer and
revellers were injured when a
firework was allegedly set off at Aberdeen’s Hogmanay street party.
One woman was said to have
been left with blood “pouring” from a head wound.
Police said the firework was
allegedly set off just minutes after midnight, as 20,000 people watched the
celebrations at the Castlegate.
Several people, including a
police officer, were hurt in the incident.
A 27-year-old man was
arrested and remanded in custody in connection with the alleged incident.
He is due to appear in court
tomorrow.
One party-goer, who did not
want to be named, said the firework went off in the middle of the Castlegate
crowd.
He said: “It was after the
bells, maybe between 12.15 and 12.30am. The firework fizzed through the air
then tumbled about on the ground for a few seconds.
“There were people screaming
then it exploded. I think a woman got the worst of it and her head was pouring
with blood.
“It was right in the middle
of the crowd, about 15ft from the front of the stage.”
Despite the incident, police
said they were pleased with how the event went overall and thanked the
“overwhelming majority” of the 20,000-strong crowd who behaved responsibly and
with good nature.
Superintendent Adrian Watson,
who was police commander on the night, said: “I am delighted that the event was
so well attended and those who came along enjoyed such a great entertainment
line-up.
“There were relatively few
arrests, these were mainly for alcohol-related public disorder and included
alleged firework offences.
“However, all in all,
Grampian Police is pleased that the event was such a success and thanks the
overwhelming majority who attended for their responsible behaviour and good
nature on the night.”
Jan 2, Revellers injured
in ‘firework blast’, Evening Express
Jan 2, Stray firework
sparked house blaze, Kent Online
A stray firework is thought
to be the cause of a house blaze on New Year’s Eve.
Firefighters were called to
the property in Wilson Avenue, Rochester, at around 2.50pm on Wednesday.
Crews from Strood and Medway
fire stations had to break down the front door to gain access to the house.
Firefighters wearing
breathing apparatus were sent inside to search for the occupants but no-one was
found.
A spokesman for Kent Fire and
Rescue said: “The fire had
started at the back of the house we believe it was caused by a firework.
“There was a lot of damage to
the conservatory, which was used as a dining area.
“The conservatory was made of
PVC which causes a lot of black, acrid smoke and fumes when it burns.
"This had spread to the
rest of the house, on both floors, and caused extensive damage.
“This incident shows how a
simple thing such as closing doors in your home can prevent damage to your
property if a fire occurs.”
“A witness reported seeing
children playing with fireworks near the property.”
Kent Police said it did not
believe the fire was started deliberately and officers were not investigating
the incident.
Jan 2, Stray firework
sparked house blaze, Kent Online
Jan 2, Stray firework
sparks garden blaze, Evening Star 24
A stray
firework was to blame for a blaze which destroyed a set of garden furniture at an Ipswich home.
Neighbours rushed to dampen the flames in the early hours of New Years day as a
celebratory rocket flew off course and landed in the Woodhatch's back garden.
As the flames rose over the fence, neighbours were alerted to the drama and as
one threw buckets of water over the fire, another scaled the fence and used a
garden hose to tackle the blaze.
The fire was already out when the couple returned from their daughter's house,
where they had been seeing in the New Year, thanks to the quick thinking of
their neighbours in Sandpiper Road.
Paneer Woodhatch couldn't believe what she was seeing when she and her husband
pulled up shortly before 1am yesterday to find fire crews outside their home.
She said: "My heart just sank because I thought something had happened to
the house.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to us but we can't blame anyone.
Nobody did this on purpose. I just can't understand how a little thing like
that caused so much damage"
Firefighters from Princes Street station were called to the house at 12.28am
but their job had already been done for them by the Woodhatch's quick-thinking
friends.
The fire wrecked a set of garden furniture after landing on a plastic tarpaulin
which was laid on top to keep off the rain. A hedge also suffered fire damage
but amazingly a car, parked next to the furniture, escaped without catching
light.
Mrs Woodhatch, who thanked her neighbours and the fire service for everything
they did in their absence, said: "That's our bad luck over now - it's been
burnt away with the furniture and hopefully we'll have good luck for the rest
of the year."
Jan 2, Stray firework
sparks garden blaze, Evening Star 24
Jan 5, Firework factory
blast kills 14 in China, The Age
Fourteen people
have been killed in two explosions at illegal fireworks factories in China, state media reports.
Thirteen people were killed
in one blast on Saturday afternoon at an abandoned brick kiln that had been
illegally transformed into a fireworks factory in Weifang city in the eastern
province of Shandong, Xinhua news agency said.
Local officials initially
only reported three fatalities but 10 other bodies were found on Sunday, it
said.
One more person died on
Sunday morning in another blast at an illegal factory in Guozhuang in the
northern province of Hebei, Xinhua reported later.
China's huge fireworks
industry is notorious for its lax safety standards, especially among smaller
producers.
The blasts came as China
prepared for the Lunar New Year festival on January 26, when fireworks are a
key part of celebrations.
Jan 5, Firework factory
blast kills 14 in China, The Age
Jan 6, Post boxes
destroyed in firework explosions in Tandridge, This is Surrey Today
Mindless
vandals destroyed private letters by blowing up two mailboxes with fireworks.
Cast iron doors flew from
their hinges on boxes in Warwick Wold Road, Bletchingley, at 10.15pm Saturday,
and Ricketts Hill, Tatsfield, at 1am on Sunday.
Letters were seen burning on
the roadside in Tatsfield and police believe the incidents are linked. No-one
was injured in either attack.
Tandridge Neighbourhood
Inspector Elaine Burtenshaw said: "To some this criminal damage may seem
like a practical joke but Surrey Police is taking it extremely seriously and I
would appeal to anyone who has any information about this at all to come
forward.
"We will be liaising
with Royal Mail to try to identify those whose letters or packages were damaged
and we are looking into where the fireworks came from.
"We are fortunate that,
given the time of night the incidents occurred, no one was injured, but we will
not tolerate mindless criminal damage of this kind and will make every effort
to identify those responsible.
"I would like to
reassure local people that incidents of this nature are extremely rare in
Tandridge, but also ask them to remain vigilant."
Witnesses should contact
police on 0845 125 2222 with any information.
Jan 6, Post boxes
destroyed in firework explosions in Tandridge, This is Surrey Today
Jan 8, Giant firework
could have hit woman and her dogs, Northwich Guardian
A giant
firework narrowly missed a resident and her dogs when it landed in her garden on New Year’s Day.
The heavy rocket, with its
4ft wooden shaft, landed in the garden in Queensgate at 11.10pm, just minutes
after the woman, who does not wish to be named, had gone back inside with her
pets.
She said: “It was a pretty
big bang and it is not a garden rocket.
“Just five minutes before I
had been in the same spot.
“With the shut-off time for
fireworks being 11pm I thought it would be safe to let the dogs out.”
She said friends of hers had
seen burnt out fireworks buried up to three inches into the ground after
organised Bonfire Night displays and believes this rocket, called a Golden
Wave, could have done serious damage.
“Two years ago my car was hit
by a falling firework and the window cracked,” she said.
“Organised events that are
advertised are okay because I can put my dogs in the car and drive off
somewhere, but if I don’t know where or when they’re going off I can’t plan.”
Insp Pete Minghella, from
Northwich Neighbourhood Policing Unit, said unplanned and unexpected fireworks
were difficult to police.
“On the whole it’s been
unusually quiet in Northwich for the past two events of New Year and Bonfire
Night.
“You’re always going to get
an idiot and it’s hard to cater for them.
“It’s such a hard offence to
prove and we don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun but obviously if we do find
anyone with fireworks we will take action.
“A couple of fireworks were
seized by staff in the run up to Bonfire Night this year and Trading Standards
contacted suppliers to make sure they were legitimate.”
Jan 8, Giant firework
could have hit woman and her dogs, Northwich Guardian
Jan 8, Support for
firework ban gathers pace, Dutch News
A private
initiative to ban private individuals from buying and setting off fireworks is likely to gather enough support to be discussed in
parliament, reports Trouw
on Thursday.
Some 31,000 people have
already put their names to the digital petition launched by two local
councillors – one from Rotterdam and one from The Hague.
They say councils should
organise official New Year firework displays, as happens in Rotterdam, and that
private individuals should no longer be allowed to light them. Every year,
thousands of people are injured by fireworks during the New Year celebrations.
Several buildings also burn down.
If the draft bill attracts
40,000 signatories it must be discussed in parliament. The organisers expect to
reach that total by May.
Jan 8, Support for
firework ban gathers pace, Dutch News
Jan 9, Fireworks welcome
in a brave New Year on Arran, The Arran Banner
New Year is one
of only three occasions during the year when it is permissible in this country
to discharge fireworks without a special licence. The other two are, of course, Guy Fawkes night and Diwali.
Fireworks and bonfires on
November 5 recall the unsuccessful gunpowder plot of 1605 when Guy Fawkes and
his fellow conspirators attempted to blow up the House of Lords at the State
Opening of Parliament.
Diwali is a major Hindu
holiday which varies each year from the end of October to early November and is
a significant festival for Sikhs, Hindus and Buddhists. Diwali is celebrated
throughout the world with firecrackers and fireworks and in a major way in many
British cities.
At the turn of the millennium
in 2000 the Beacon Millenium Scotland project organised a massive ring of
beacons to be lit across the country to celebrate the advent of another 1,000
years. This commemorated the ancient method of communicating good news from one
area to another.
At the time two sites were
registered in Arran, one in Shiskine and one in Whiting Bay. Many communities
have chosen to continue this ancient practice. And as the bells heralded in a
new year at midnight last Wednesday a number of beacons and bonfires were lit
around the island.
The weather was cold and
clear, and during the evening, low cloud cleared in time for the fireworks and
bonfires to be visible all along the Ayrshire coast.
The good people of Ayrshire
would also have had the pleasure of seeing the many firework displays on Arran.
Jan 9, Fireworks welcome
in a brave New Year on Arran, The Arran Banner
Jan 11, Explosion kills
five, injures nine at China firework plant, The Earth Times
Beijing - Five people died and nine were injured
on Sunday after an explosion at a fireworks plant in the southern province of Guangdong, state media said. The blast hit
a privately run workshop in Qingtan town near Guangdong's Yingde city early
Sunday morning, the official Xinhua news agency quoted the city government as
saying.
Four people died at the
firework plant and another died later in hospital, the agency said.
Safety officials were
investigating the cause of the blast, which killed four local women and a man
from the neighbouring province of Hunan.
The accident came amid a
nationwide production drive before the annual peak for fireworks during
celebrations for China's lunar new year, or Spring Festival, which starts on
January 26.
At least 24 others have died
in similar accidents at fireworks plants in China in the past few weeks.
Small-scale fireworks
production, with few safety measures, is common in many rural areas of China
despite government crackdowns and the promotion of larger industries.
Jan 11, Explosion kills
five, injures nine at China firework plant, The Earth Times
Jan 16, Firework attack on
police station, This is South Wales
A man posted a
lighted firework through the letterbox at Bonymaen Police Station.
He was caught on CCTV and is
now being hunted by police.
Officers said the firework
quickly burned out and did not cause any serious damage.
But they said it could have
been much worse.
Sergeant Ralph Harris, of the
Eastside Sector, said: "This could have been a potentially serious
situation.
"I would appeal to the
communities of Winch Wen and Bonymaen, if anyone knows the person responsible
or has any relevant information to come forward."
The attack happened at around
8pm on Wednesday, January 14, and involved a white man wearing a black hooded
jacket, with the hood up.
The jacket had a thick,
white, vertical stripe on each arm, and a logo to the left chest area.
He was wearing light-colour
trousers, light-colour training shoes and gloves.
He was then seen to run away
up Bonymaen Road.
Anyone with information is
asked to contact the Police in Swansea on 01792 456999 or Crimestoppers on 0800
555 111.
Jan 16, Firework attack on
police station, This is South Wales
Jan 29, Philippines: 5
Dead, 32 Injured In Firework Factory Blast, My Sinchew
Manila: At least five people were killed and 32
others were wounded in a powerful explosion that tore through a firecracker
factory south of the Philippine capital
on Thursday, police and officials said.
The mid-morning explosion
also triggered a fire that gutted the Star Maker factory in a town around 50km
south of Manila, officials said.
"The explosion was so
powerful that it broke window panes even at the municipal hall more than a
kilometre away," town mayor Melencio Sagun said, adding that the victims
were mostly factory workers.
Local health officer Vilma
Diez said 32 blast victims had been rushed to hospital. She confirmed only one
fatality, but police said at least four others had been seen inside the burnt
out wreck.
Radio reports from the scene
said thick black smoke was still billowing from the site three hours after the
incident, while human body parts could be seen metres away from the factory.
"There are body parts
scattered outside," said local police chief Superintendent Reynaldo
Galang, adding that police and health officials were trying to account for the
estimated 100 staff. (AFP)
Jan 29, Philippines: 5
Dead, 32 Injured In Firework Factory Blast, My Sinchew
Jan 31, Teen admits to
firework incident, Penarth Times
A teenager has been
given a nine-month referral order after pleading guilty to throwing a lit
firework on a passenger train.
The youth admitted
endangering safety, at the Vale of Glamorgan Youth Court on January 15, after
throwing the firework into the train as he left at Cogan train station.
The firework exploded and
burnt for around 30 seconds until prompt-acting rail staff put it out with an
onboard fire extinguisher.
No-one on the train was
injured and CCTV footage of the incident enabled British Transport Police to
quickly identify the offender.
Arriva Trains Wales security
manager Gwilym Bowen said: "While we are pleased that a conviction was
obtained, we are disappointed that the sentence passed was not more severe as
the consequences of this individual’s action could have been very serious, were
it not for the prompt action of the conductor.
"However it is a very
good example of how excellent CCTV footage together with partnership working
with British Transport Police means that we can take action."
Jan 31, Teen admits to
firework incident, Penarth Times
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