Common firework ignited mortar shells in Pelham explosion, report finds

PELHAM – Edmund Gleason saw firsthand how dangerous fireworks can be when an explosion burned his grandson and injured 11 other people on the eve of Independence Day. Gleason shared that experience with lawmakers Tuesday, when he was among the people who testified at a hearing concerning a bill to ban the type of “consumer fireworks” – which are sold for private use rather than public displays – that caused the explosion at a Pelham home. Three days after the hearing, state and local officials issued a preliminary report that deemed the cause of the explosion an accident, although the Hillsborough County Attorney, Pelham police and the state fire marshal haven’t closed their investigation. A common commercial firework that was ignited on an open deck accidentally landed on an open bag of mortar shells, triggering an explosion that injured a family gathered for a pre-July 4 celebration, according to the preliminary report. Gleason said his grandson, who was 18 months at the time, has recovered from his injuries. But other family members still require medical treatment for skin grafts and other injuries, and the psychological effects may last a lifetime, said Rep. Brian Rhodes, D-Nashua, co-sponsor of the proposed legislation to ban the fireworks. “The injuries the people received there were catastrophic,” Rhodes said. Rhodes is a deputy fire chief in Nashua, but he stressed his involvement with the bill was only as a state representative and not related to his job. State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan, Pelham Fire Chief James Midgley and Pelham Police Chief Joseph Roark released information Friday from an investigation of the 40 Dodge Road fireworks explosion on July 3. Investigators concluded the incident was an accident. The overall case remains under investigation by the Hillsborough County Attorney’s Office, the Pelham Police Department and the State Fire Marshal’s Office. According to the information released Friday, the consumer fireworks involved were unpackaged, reloadable mortar shells. About 344 shells were placed on an open deck at the back of the home, the investigation determined. Thirteen people injured in the explosion were either on the 14- by 14-foot deck or on an adjacent three-season porch, according to the report. The explosion occurred after a firework device, identified by witnesses as an aerial spinner, had been ignited on the deck and unintentionally landed in the pile of exposed reloadable mortar shells, the investigation found. The incident taxed the resources of the Pelham Fire and Police departments and surrounding communities, as the injured were transported from the scene by ambulance and medical helicopter to hospitals in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to the investigation. The U.S.