11-year-old River Rouge girl loses four fingers, twin sister is cut and burned when lighting firework mistaken for a sparkler

RIVER ROUGE (WWJ) -- Twin girls, age 11, were seriously injured in their Downriver home on Thursday when a powerful firework blew up in their hands.

According to a report by Local 4 , the one of the girls lost four fingers, while her sister suffered cuts and burns when they lit the firework in a bathroom, thinking it was a sparkler.

Neighbors heard the explosion and helped the girls, using a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, before River Rouge police responded and the twins were rushed to a hospital.

According to River Rouge Deputy Police Chief Dasumo Mitchell, it's believed this was an illegal firework, which the girls found in their home, and they're investigating to determine who sold it to the family.

Mitchell told WJBK police believe the firework was more powerful than an m-80, based on the structural damage it caused in the house.

The girls' mother was at work at the time of the incident, but police said there was an adult in the home when the incident happened.

Ahead of the July 4th holiday, Mitchel is urging parents to speak with their children about fireworks safety; stressing that fireworks should never be brought into the house.

Both girls were expected to recover from their injuries. WWJ Newsradio 950 has a call out to police for an update on their condition on Friday.

More on today's top stories: