ALLEGAN, Mich. — On Monday night, the fireworks show in downtown Allegan went awry when an errant firework flew into the crowd and injured some spectators.
A mother who was there told FOX 17 that it was a chaotic scene afterwards, with people scrambling to leave while first responders were tending to those who were injured.
“We have never had anything of this scale,” said Allegan Fire Chief Nick Brink during an interview with FOX 17 on Wednesday. “We’ve had fireworks incidents in the past, but we haven’t had it at an actual show like this, a professional show.”
On Tuesday, the city of Allegan released a statement saying that a few people suffered minor injuries, and that one was taken to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
“It’s an unfortunate event that happened,” Chief Brink said. “Obviously, it’s an unintentional event. So, we’re very disappointed that it happened, but there’s not really anything we can do other than react to it.”
The statement also said that the city has contracted with Wolverine Fireworks for years and for multiple annual shows.
Chief Brink added that Wolverine Fireworks has to be abide by the state's and the National Fire Protection Association's guidelines for every show.
FOX 17 reached out to the company, which is based in Kawkawlin, MI, and we are waiting to hear back.
However, FOX 17 heard from LARA, the state’s Licensing And Regulatory Affairs office, and they stated that “Wolverine Fireworks Display Inc. is registered as a domestic profit corporation in good standing. There have been no complaints filed against them.”
FOX 17 also learned through OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, that they did have a violation listed as “serious” in 2021. They were initially penalized $4,900 but it was reduced for $2,450. The case was closed in 2022.
Wolverine told FOX 17 on Tuesday that they were “deeply concerned” about the incident, and they’ve launched their own internal investigation.
There’s no word from the city of Allegan if they’ve launched their own investigation. FOX 17 called their office and is waiting to hear back.
However, Chief Brink said that safety will always be the top priority for the fire department.
“Accidents will happen everywhere,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to ensure that the city and the fireworks company don’t allow this to happen again by preventing [or] using better safety measures and making sure that we’re looking at all possibilities of failure.”
