Local News

Man suffers life-threatening injuries in July 4th Cape Cod fireworks explosion

The man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with "traumatic" hand and leg injuries, Yarmouth fire officials said.

July 5, 2023

1 minute to read

A man suffered life-threatening injuries during a Fourth of July fireworks explosion in West Yarmouth, Cape Cod officials said.

The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. at a home on Cocheset Path, according to a press release from the Yarmouth Fire Department. Firefighters reportedly received multiple calls about a 40-year-old man with “traumatic” injuries to his leg and hand from a fireworks explosion.

First responders looked into a helicopter transport for the man, but none were available due to the weather, according to the press release. The man was ultimately treated and taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis with “serious life-threatening injuries,” the Yarmouth Fire Department said.

“This is a reminder that the use, possession, or sale of fireworks is illegal in the state of Massachusetts,” the department cautioned, urging members of the public to “leave the fireworks to the professionals.”

Yarmouth fire officials cited data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which reported that an estimated 10,200 people were treated in emergency rooms last year for fireworks injuries. There were also 11 fireworks-related deaths in 2022, the agency noted.

“Fireworks are beautiful to watch, but they can be deadly when mishandled or misused, or if the fireworks themselves contain illegal components,” CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said in a statement ahead of this year’s Independence Day festivities.