New report finds sharp increase in injuries from fireworks as July 4th holiday looms

SEATTLE — A new study has found that fatal injuries from recreational fireworks jumped in Washington state last year over the previous 12 months as county officials on Friday warned about the injuries that can result from mishandled fireworks.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is advising people to only buy and use fireworks that have been approved for consumers and to use extreme caution.

“Professional fireworks should be left to the professionals," saidPatty Davis, spokeswoman for the agency said. "Shooting off your own illegal fireworks can really get deadly.”

Officials said the cancelled fireworks displays last year because of the COVID pandemic likely fueled a surge in people buying and lighting their own fireworks, although many of them suffered injuries as a result.

According to a new report from the CPSC, 18 people died in 2020 from mishandled fireworks, including a man from Marysville. The ground said eight of the victims who died had used alcohol or drugs beforehand.

In the prior year, 12 people were killed during a mishap involving fireworks, according to the CPSC.

Injuries also rose by 50 percent last year the CPSC said, with more than 15,000 victims ending up in hospital emergency rooms.

“We don’t want you to spend the Fourth of July in the emergency room," Davis said. "So make sure you don’t get sparklers to children. Sparklers run at 2,000 (degrees) and can cause very severe burns."

That was the same message echoed by several fire department officials from King County, who held a news conference Friday to discuss the dangers posed by fireworks.

Dr. Sam Arbabi, professor of surgery at the University of Washington and one of the trauma burn surgeons at Harborview Medical Center, the only Level One burn and trauma center in Washington state, said his hospital is already prepared to respond to the expected increase this weekend in patients hurt from fireworks.

"The ER is getting ready for what we see every year, (which) is significant injuries," he said. "Injuries that we're talking about is loss of hand or fingers (or) loss of eyes. We see that quite often."

According to the CPSC:

• Burns were the top injury from fireworks, accounting for 44 percent of all wounds.
• Eye injuries accounted for 15 percent of damage.
• Wounds to the head, face and ears accounted for 30 percent of injuries, and those included serious damage to victims' hands and fingers.

And for devices causing the most injuries? That would be firecrackers, followed by sparklers.

“We saw the biggest spike in fireworks related injuries in the 20 to 24-year-old age group,” Davis said.

The CPSC recommends the following safety precautions:

• Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers.
• Never try to re-light or handle malfunctioning fireworks. Soak them with water and discard them.
• Never place any part of your body directly over a fireworks device when lighting the fuse. Move to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
• Make sure fireworks are legal in your area, and only purchase fireworks that are labeled for consumer, and not professional, use.
• Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
• And be sure to keep a hose and bucket of water handy, especially when dry conditions are present, which can be ripe for wildfires.