Fiery Cannon Blast at Utah Parade Injures 3 Children
The children were watching a Civil War reenactment.
June 15, 2014— -- Three children remain hospitalized after being injured when a cannon blast at a summer parade in Utah turned into a fiery explosion.
The children were attending the Orem Summerfest Parade in Orem, Utah, on Saturday when a Civil War reenactment group fired the cannon.
A spark from the cannon landed on a pouch containing additional explosive charges that were then ignited, causing a fiery blast, according to Orem police Lt. Josh Adams.
Two of the children appeared to be engulfed in flames from the explosion, Adams said. Bystanders helped rip off the children's clothes, douse them in water, and wrap them in blankets.
The children were treated at the scene of the parade and transported to the hospital, where they are in stable condition.
An eyewitness told KXTV that there was lots of smoke at the time of the explosion and that a child emerged from the smoke, leading people to yell "stop, drop and roll" at the children.