Warehouse Filled With Fireworks Explodes; 4 Dead
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LaFOLLETTE, Tenn. — A warehouse full of Fourth of July fireworks exploded Thursday in a thunderous blast felt miles away, killing four workers, setting buildings on fire and raining pyrotechnic shells on front yards.
Several residents dropped to the ground after the blast at the warehouse operated by Pyro Shows Inc., a major supplier for Independence Day festivals around the country, including the display on the Mall in Washington.
“At point zero, there’s just nothing there,” Sheriff Ron McClellan said.
Four plant workers getting ready for a show this weekend at Norfolk, Va., were killed, said Diane Watson, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Commerce and Insurance, which regulates fireworks.
The cause was not immediately known. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and state fire officials were investigating.
Emergency crews rushed to the site at the edge of this coal mining town 30 miles north of Knoxville and battled to keep the fire from spreading to other trailers filled with fireworks. Heavy rain extinguished the flames.
Fire and falling fireworks shells, metal siding and other debris damaged a Baptist church and two of every five homes near the plant.
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