Two South Florida teens playing with fireworks had fingers blown off

FORT LAUDERDALE - Despite calls for safety and leaving it to the pros, at least two people in South Florida were injured by Fourth of July fireworks and taken to hospitals Thursday night.

According to Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue, just after 10 p.m. a homemade PVC pipe mortar launcher exploded and injured a teen at 481 SE 17th Ave. in Deerfield Beach. The 16 or 17-year-old boy had significant injuries and lost a couple of fingers. He was rushed to a nearby hospital as a trauma alert.

"What we believe happened was that this teen had a mortar in his hand, which is a firework that is inserted or comes installed inside of a cylindrical tube. Now those fireworks are generally meant to be lit on the ground. We believe he was hand holding this firework when it exploded. As a result, he received a partial amputation of his hand," said Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue battalion Chief Michael Kane.

About an hour later, EMTs were sent to 1941 SW 48th Ave. in West Park after another teen boy about the same age was injured when the fireworks he was playing with blew up. He too lost fingers and was taken to a hospital as a trauma alert.

"There was a teenager who was hand holding a firework. Most likely he was hand holding this firework in a clenched fist fashion and the firework detonated, and unfortunately, he lost a few fingers in that," said Kane.

They responded to a third fireworks call when one flew through a home's window and went off.

"I literally thought that there was a bomb coming through my house," the homeowner said, who did not want to be identified.

"It crashed through the back window of her home as people in the neighborhood were lighting fireworks. I heard it come straight through my window so I wasn't sure if it was a gun. I didn't know what it was," she added.

That's when she and her dog took cover as her home filled with smoke.

"I just dropped to the floor [and] covered my face. Me and the dog just ran and dropped," she said.

No one was injured.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said just before 10 p.m. they also responded to a fireworks-related injury. They said the person was treated on the scene and then taken to Broward Health Medical Center for additional care.

Miami Fire Rescue said they had one firework injury that happened just before midnight in the area of 48th St. and NW 8th Ave. They said the 13-year-old was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center with a hand injury.

Firework-related injuries on the Fourth of July

Thousands of fireworks-related injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms across the country each year. Nearly 74% of firework-related injuries happen between June 18 and July 18.

Firecrackers tend to be the leading cause of emergency room visits. Most often those injured are teens using store-bought fireworks, according to the state's health department.

It's not just the explosives. Sparklers burn very hot and are often passed to children with little supervision. Injuries from sparklers have increased by 120%.