Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >> Associated Press  (click to enlarge) A fireworks shell explodes at ground level near Main Street and Court Street in Charles City, Iowa, on Friday during the town's Fourth of July fireworks display.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Saturday, July 5, 2008 Fireworks shell misfires, injuring 37 in Iowa town By Luke Meredith Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa -- A Fourth of July fireworks shell misfired in a northern Iowa town, sending a fireball skidding down a street into a crowd of spectators and injuring 37 people, officials said today. Most of the people treated after the Friday night accident in Charles City suffered minor injuries, city fire department spokesman Eric Whipple said. It appears there was a misfire involving 13 racks of firework tubes during the finale of the city-sponsored show, Assistant Fire Chief Dave Beamer said Saturday. Officials didn't yet know why the fireworks malfunctioned, Beamer said. Inspectors from the state fire marshal's office in Des Moines visited Charles City today. "It appears they went horizontally across the ground, some of them," Beamer said of the fireworks. Witnesses told the Charles City Press that a large fireball veered toward the crowd gathered downtown on lawn chairs and blankets. "It was like a bunch of little fireworks just coming toward us," spectator Emily Watson said. "They started to explode. It was just like skating right across the street and then I saw them exploding right in the street here. ... In a split second, it started coming at me." Brenda Schweiger said she feared for her life. "My exact thought was, 'This is it, we're going to die,' " she said. The city of about 7,800 people is 125 miles northeast of Des Moines, near the Minnesota state line. Elsewhere, police in Riverside, Ohio, said a man lost part of his leg when fireworks went off inside his parked sport-utility vehicle, blowing the windows out. A 6-year-old girl in Bayville, N.Y., suffered second-degree burns when fireworks landed in her lap, police said. Investigators said it wasn't immediately clear who launched the fireworks but said the child wasn't at a public pyrotechnics display. A 3-year-old boy in Leominster, Mass., suffered serious burns after his father shot off fireworks that went awry, authorities said. The 37-year-old man will probably be charged with illegal possession of fireworks, police said. In Port Huron, Mich., a 51-year-old man was critically injured when he was struck in face by a mortar-type firework, the St. Clair County sheriff's department said. Officers said the man was placing the firework in a tube when it ignited.

1. Good grief! 2. Swine flu lingers, making traditional flu season unpredictable 3. Two vie to serve as Snohomish County prosecutor 4. Last hurrah for Huskies’ Locker? 5. Koster for Congress? He’s still undecided 6. Here’s how home foreclosure sales really work 7. A store credit card can save you cash, but is it worth it? 8. New site sought for Snohomish pool project 9. Families get an early gift: free Christmas trees 10. Prep Roundup: Lake Stevens wins two wrestling meets 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Wildcats fall to familar foe in semis • ‘Nutcracker' times three • Road warrior • Mavericks reloading • Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Cities prepare for winter blast repeat • Wolfpack duo takes last shot at state tourney • This Weekend in Your Town • Tips for the stormy season • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million