Half of July 4 fires caused by fireworks: Trade group
Fireworks can reach temperatures of nearly 2,000 degrees.
At 5 years old, Joseph Livingston faced a brutal third-degree burn. The cause: consumer fireworks.
He was celebrating Labor Day in Columbia, Md., with his neighbors back in 2016.
One of the neighbors was playing with fireworks when a sparkler went off, striking Joseph. He suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns on his legs.
Now, at 7 years old, Joseph is still receiving treatments at Johns Hopkins’ Pediatric Trauma and Burn Unit after suffering the consequences of consumer firework dangers.
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The National Fire Protection Association, a trade organization that advocates for fire safety, found that 12,900 people were treated at U.S. hospital emergency rooms for firework-related injuries last year. Children under the age of 15 accounted for more than a third of those injuries.
Fireworks can reach temperatures nearly 2,000 degrees and sparklers can reach 1,200, according to the organization.
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To put that into perspective, water’s boiling point is 212 degrees.
More fires are reported on July 4 than any other day of the year and 50 percent of those are caused by fireworks, the organization found.
It urges people to not use consumer fireworks.