OCEAN CITY, Md. — On the morning of the Fourth of July, some of Ocean City, Maryland's fireworks unintentionally went off on a crowded beach.
A release from the Ocean City Fire Department said the fireworks were being set up for the town's show, planned for later that night.
A few hours later, the fire department canceled Ocean City's fireworks "out of an abundance of caution."
Responders initially thought there was a vehicle on fire in the area of Dorchester Street - but when they got there, found the fireworks exploding.
A spokesperson for the fire department said some employee from the fireworks company were hurt in the accident, but they were expected to be okay. They didn't let paramedics take them to the hospital.
Ocean City Fire Chief Richie Bowers said his team will be looking into what caused the fireworks to go off.
"Prior to the fireworks being off loaded from the vehicle, Fire Marshal's [sic] secure a safe zone around the fireworks and put other safety protocols in place. It is this very zone and safety protocols that kept anyone else from being injured," he wrote in a statement.
After the fire department announced the cancelation of the Ocean City fireworks show, a spokesperson said there would be a perimeter set up around the launching area for a while.
"A perimeter around the fireworks site has been established and will remain in place until the safety inspections are complete, which could take several days," a post on the department's Facebook read.
Here's what the Ocean City Fire Department said:
1:30 p.m.: Ocean City Fire Marshals are continuing safety inspections at each firework location after the unintended discharge of fireworks on the beach this morning. At this time, the cause of the fireworks discharge is unknown. A perimeter around the fireworks site has been established and will remain in place until the safety inspections are complete, which could take several days. At this time, areas of the Boardwalk have also been closed to pedestrian traffic until a thorough safety inspection has been completed. Due to an abundance of caution, all firework shows in Ocean City have been canceled. Updates will be provided as they become available.
11:30 a.m.: On Sunday, July 4, 2021, the Ocean City Fire Department was alerted for a vehicle fire at Dorchester Street and the beach.
Firefighters arrived to find that no vehicle was on fire; however, there was an unintentional discharge of fireworks that were being set up on the beach for the Town's fireworks show.
During the unintentional discharge, employees of the fireworks company received minor injuries and refused transport to the hospital by Ocean City Paramedics. No beach or boardwalk patrons were injured.
"Our Fire Marshals are on the scene and will investigate the cause of the unintentional discharge," said Ocean City Fire Chief Richie Bowers. "Prior to the fireworks being off loaded from the vehicle, Fire Marshal's secure a safe zone around the fireworks and put other safety protocols in place. It is this very zone and safety protocols that kept anyone else from being injured," he concluded.
The Ocean City Fire Department will provide updates as they become available.
Here's the full statement from the Ocean City Police Department:
The Ocean City Police Department and Fire Department personnel are on scene of an unintentional discharge of fireworks on the beach in the area of Dorchester St. Please avoid this area to allow the first responders to safely work. We will provide updates as they become available.