'This was a lot to overcome:' 5 Hawaii fireworks explosion survivors discharged in Phoenix

Yahoo

21-03-2025

Valleywise Health announced the final two victims who suffered severe burns from an explosion involving illegal fireworks in Hawaii had since been discharged from a Phoenix hospital.
Their injuries stemmed from an incident that occurred during a New Year's Eve party in Honolulu where local police said someone lit a firework "cake" containing around 50 individual aerial fireworks that somehow tipped over, shooting into other crates also filled with fireworks. The explosion initially killed three people and injured over 20 others including three children. A 3-year-old boy died days later, bringing the number of deceased to four.
Six people in their 20s and 30s in critical condition with burns covering 60% to 80% of their bodies were flown in a C17 military transport from Hawaii to Phoenix on Jan. 4 to receive treatment as Hawaii's only burn center on Oahu had limited bed space.
All six were placed in a medically induced coma as part of their treatment with doctors saying they had a good chance of survival.
One of the six patients, identified on a GoFundMe page as Kevin Vallestros, died on Jan. 28.
'After 28 days of relentless fighting against infections and injuries — Kevin is now at peace and resting with Heavenly Father,' the GoFundMe read.
Vallestros' girlfriend Melissa Cabrera was also one of the burn victims being treated in Phoenix. The two had an infant son who was being cared for by family members as they received treatment, according to a GoFundMe page established for her recovery.
"Thank you to each and everyone's contributions as we were able to bring Kevin home and give him a celebration of life worthy of him. My brother was laid to rest on Sunday, March 2, 2025," an update on Vallestros' GoFundMe page read.
The Honolulu Police Department said officers arrested a man and a woman — both 33 years old — on Jan. 24 in connection with reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a minor and multiple fireworks offenses.
The two were released the following day pending further investigation. The cases were to be sent to the department of the prosecuting attorney, Honolulu police confirmed.
The department said the public should expect additional arrests as the investigation continued. It was not immediately clear as of Thursday whether the department made any additional arrests.
Dr. Kevin Foster, director of the Arizona Burn Center, said Thursday the five survivors remained in Phoenix where they will undergo physical therapy. Foster said two of the survivors are receiving in-patient therapy at a Phoenix facility while the remaining three are undergoing outpatient treatment at the Arizona Burn Center.
'I'll tell you that they're all doing very well physically,' Foster said during a news conference. 'Emotionally and psychologically, obviously this was a lot to overcome, so they have got some work to do there.'
He added the patients all required multiple surgeries, with some needing four to five and others needing as many as 10 to 12.
Foster said part of the challenge in treating the patients was the fact that they had been exposed to an explosion from commercial 'heavy duty' fireworks which aren't the ones that typically injure people in Arizona.
'One of the things that we did not anticipate and that caused some difficulty is all of them had pieces of stuff — particulate matter, projectiles that had been embedded in their skin,' Foster said. 'And that made some unique-type wounds that really predisposed them to some unusual infections that we had not anticipated.'
Foster said all five have substantial scars along with physical limitations and disabilities that can be addressed through physical and occupational therapy but noted that it could take months or even years for significant results.
He added that most — if not all of the surviving patients — will also likely need reconstructive surgery as their scars mature.
Foster said all five plan on returning to Hawaii over the next few weeks and months as they progress through their respective treatment plans.
'It has been very gratifying to watch them progress and get better,' Foster said. 'And we're pretty happy with how this has gone. I mean, we're just a little bit over two months, which is pretty good.'
Foster noted that severe burns are 'just about the worst thing that can happen' to a person and often take much longer to heal from compared to other types of trauma.
'It is uniquely horrifying,' Foster said of severe burns. 'There is something about being burned — being involved in an accident where burning is involved — it really affects human beings adversely. And I think all these patients are going to have to deal with that and are dealing with that right now.'
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at [e-mail] or 602-444-2474.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 5 surviving victims of Hawaii firework tragedy discharged in Phoenix