Employee injured after firework explodes
A man sustained serious head injuries after a firework exploded in his face while he was cleaning up after a Cascades of Fireworks display on the banks of the upper Niagara River.
At about 4 p.m. Saturday, an employee of Whysall Fireworks was cleaning up following the pyrotechnics show from the previous evening when he was struck in the face by a firework shell.
Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Emergency Medical Services responded to the site at the International Control Dam in the upper Niagara River and attended to the injured man.
The man, a 10-year employee believed to be in his 40s, was taken by air ambulance to an out-oftown hospital.
The Ministry of Labour was called in to investigate.
Whysall Fireworks, based in Kenilworth in Wellington County, is the supplier working for the Winter Festival of Lights to stage the Cascades of Fire International Fireworks Competition, said David Adames, chairman of the Winter Festival of Lights.
The company has provided fireworks displays at Niagara Falls for more than 18 years.
This is the first major safety incident that has occurred for Whysall Fireworks in its 40 years of business, Adames said.
Team Finland’s entry in the Cascades of Fire competition was shelved Saturday due to strong winds. Organizers had made the decision to cancel the show prior to the accident at the International Control Dam.
The team was scheduled to light up the skies Sunday but the Winter Festival of Lights announced Sunday afternoon that it had been postponed.
A 10-minute replacement show was scheduled for Sunday.
The festival is expected to release further updates regarding the Cascades of Fire on Monday.
Teams from five countries are participating in the pyrotechnic competition.