Fireworks Show Ends Abruptly

Sat., July 6, 1996

Associated Press

A barge being used to launch fireworks blew up on Flathead Lake, cutting short the community of Lakeside’s annual Fourth of July celebration.

No one was injured in the spectacular explosion Thursday night.

Eyewitnesses said the show had been under way only 10 or 15 minutes when the barge exploded. The three men setting off the fireworks dove into the water as rockets began shooting in all directions.

“It was going beautifully, when all of a sudden the whole barge lit up,” said Ardith Clare, who owns lakeshore property and had a ringside view of the accident

“It was pretty frightening. There were rockets and colors going every which way,” she said.

Rob Cherot, a Lakeside fireman and quick-response unit member, said he was in a boat about 15 yards away when the explosion occurred. Several boaters nearby rescued the three unidentified men.

According to Cherot, a mortar tube apparently exploded and set the remaining fireworks on fire. The intensity of the fire reportedly melted the back of one volunteer’s jacket before he jumped overboard, Cherot said.

The sudden end to the show was a disappointment for thousands of spectators. Before the traditional fireworks display, a much-publicized laser light show also failed. Problems reportedly developed with the power source used to generate the laser light, and only one green beam materialized.

Organizers of the event had hired Laser Fantasy International to put on the show to encourage the Independence Day crowd to remain in Lakeside throughout the evening.

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