Latest news with #LynnSchofield
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
How did Provo's fireworks mishap injure 26 people?
The 2024 Freedom Festival's Stadium of Fire Independence Day celebration in Provo experience an unexpected commotion on July 4 at BYU's Edwards Stadium, when fireworks malfunctioned, injuring a reported 26 people, with four being directly hit by parts of the device. On Wednesday, Provo Fire & Rescue released its completed report on the Stadium of Fire incident in a press conference at the Provo City Center. The city's fire marshal, Lynn Schofield, presented the report that ultimately concluded the incident 'occurred as a result of an uncontrolled deflagration of whistle composition in two successive tubes in a 36-shot kick,' he said. This means that of the fireworks' 36 tubes — placed in 6x6 rows — connected by a string fuse, two of the tubes likely pulled apart, causing the device to disperse and launch explosives into the crowd. The fireworks, a 36S Howling Tails to Hammer, is a whistling variety. These kinds of fireworks are named for the whistling sound they make when shooting into the air. They differ from other fireworks in that they use a unique pyrotechnic composition that burns in an oscillating pattern packed into tubes at high pressure. Schofield emphasized that once the fireworks are ignited, there's nothing that can be done to stop them. 'There's no dead man switch,' he said. 'Once it's going, it continues to go unless that circuit either completes or is interrupted.' In this case, chaos ensued after the fireworks circuit was completed. The incident was shared many times via social media. The fireworks were located four rows down from the top of the south end zone set up in the bleachers. At around 8:40 p.m., after the song 'The Star-Spangled Banner' and the F-35 flyover, Schofield said the fireworks malfunctioned and shot into the crowds. Injuries were sustained in three distinct ways: Four people were directly struck by the device under power, he said. One woman was even directly hit on the head by the flying device. Until she saw the video of her being hit, Schofield said the woman thought a water bottle had struck her. A number of people were injured by flying shrapnel from the objects propelling through the crowds. Lastly, Schofield said the sound output level of people near the explosion caused hearing injuries. The fireworks produced a 'sound output level of 145 to 85 decibels, which is well above the acceptable range,' he said, 'But again, it's happening within a small area with people, which is not part of the design.' Initial stories listed the number of victims at 18. Following the incident, the report included a list of recommendations for the future, focusing on enhancing safety through stricter oversight and proactive risk mitigation. One recommendation was to require a detailed product list during the permitting process so authorities can verify product specifications and assess potential hazards. Equally important is clearly labeling devices to warn users that they contain self-propelled rockets. Schofield said the firework in question did not have a label. He also cautioned that establishing an 800‐foot exclusion zone was a vital physical safety measure they learned from this incident. All of the victims, except for one, were more than 450 feet from the firework's point of discharge. 'We will do everything we can to make sure that these events are as safe as we possibly,' Schofield said, with Independence Day just over four months away. 'The very worst outcome of this investigation and this incident is to not change the way we do business to try and prevent this in the future. That's just that's not acceptable.' He added that the 36S Howling Tails to Hammer is no longer available and that when it comes to whistler fireworks, specifically, 'You will never see a whistle inside of the stadium, as long as I'm the fire marshal,' Schofield said.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Yahoo
Provo fire marshal reveals cause of ‘catastrophic' Stadium of Fire firework explosion
PROVO, Utah (ABC4) — The Provo City fire marshal revealed the cause of the July 4th firework malfunction that led to dozens of injuries during the Stadium of Fire event last year. Last Independence Day, fireworks shot into the crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo injuring at least 27 audience members, six of which received treatment at a hospital. On Wednesday, Feb. 19, Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield revealed the cause of the 'catastrophic' incident and suggestions to prevent this from ever happening again. PREVIOUS STORY: Fireworks launch into crowd at Stadium of Fire, 6 taken to the hospital Schofield said out of the 36 firework tubes, 22 tubes went 'where they weren't supposed to go,' many spinning on the south stands and others launching into the crowd. He said four people were directly hit, and others were injured by shrapnel or experienced hearing loss from being in close proximity to the explosions. After a full investigation, Schofield said he determined 'there was no mishandling of these devices anywhere along the line,' rather the issue stemmed from an internal manufacturing fault in the fireworks that could not be seen from the outside. Investigators used an X-ray to examine two of the tubes and determined something went wrong with the 'whistle composition' portion of the device causing the firework to explode sideways. In the full report, the whistle composition is described as 'a highly energetic pyrotechnic mixture' that's pressed into the plastic tube. The fuel mixture provides thrust when it's ignited, but if it becomes powdery or cracked 'the flame front has a larger surface area to act upon and the remaining mixture will explode.' Investigators found parts of the whistle composition on a couple of victims, including one who was hospitalized after being struck in the head. The report said investigators discovered fragments of the whistle in the victim's hair and 'embedded in the victim's forehead.' While these devices have been used dozens of times at the Stadium of Fire event over the years, Schofield said this will no longer be the case, saying, 'You will never see a whistle inside of the stadium as long as I'm the fire marshal.' 'No one intended for this to happen, no one is happy that this has happened, and we will learn from this,' Schofield said. Schofield provided a list of suggestions to prevent future incidents, starting with increasing the safe distance between fireworks and people. The accepted radius is 140 feet wide, however, he said nearly all the victims in this incident were further than 450 feet away. For that reason, he calls for the safety radius to be increased to 800 feet. After interviewing the entire pyrotechnic crew in Utah and Colorado, he said there needs to be 'more stringent and documented safety briefings' for everyone on the crew. Lastly, he is calling for a national clearinghouse where they can report firework incidents and investigation results to minimize the risk of these devices across the country, as a communication database does not currently exist. 'We have to take a harder look at what's coming into our stadiums,' Schofield said. The full report can be found on Provo City's website here. 'Fireworks are wonderful … but they are, at the end of the day, still explosive devices,' Schofield concluded. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
