Utah Firefighters Hurt as Fireworks Explode in Station

A fireworks explosion inside a rural Utah firehouse left three injured and apparatus damaged.

The Marysvale firefighter who was holding the first firework to explode suffered injuries to his hands, arms, neck and face. He was flown to a burn unit, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

A 12-year-old suffered smoke inhalation and another man suffered minor burns.

The blast from the fireworks damaged the town's only fire truck as well as an ambulance and the fire station, the paper reported.

Officials say they believe static electricity caused one of the fireworks to explode in a volunteer firefighter's hands. The first explosion about 5:20 was heard in a nearby park where a celebration was getting underway.

"It's difficult to relate the sound that followed, as 70 to 80 fireworks went off inside the metal fire house," a local councilwoman told a reporter.

Firefighters from nearby Junction handled the incident.