Chicago man killed in fireworks accident on Northwest Side, fire officials say

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Illegal fireworks left one man dead Thursday night on Chicago’s Northwest Side and caused more than a dozen fires, the fire department said.

The Chicago Fire Department warned on Wednesday: “Fireworks are not safe in the hands of consumers.”

One day later, a man who was shooting off fireworks in an alley near Kostner and Wellington Avenues lost his life. He suffered a catastrophic injury.

“This is one of those mortars that shoots into the air, and as a result of the  problem that occurred, the young man who was operating it suffered a fatal injury on the scene,” said Larry Langford, with the Chicago Fire Department.

The man, identified as Earl Lory, looked down the tube when the mortar didn’t launch. He suffered a head injury.

Langford said the fire department responded to more than a dozen fires caused by fireworks at homes and garages.

It was one of the “most intense nights” for fireworks-related fires in years, he said.

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