And the rocket's red (early) glare
Photos by Chanse Watson. Fire crews work to loosen the massive amount of fireworks out of the trailer.
A clear and close shot of the scene reveals a burnt out trailer nearly packed to the brim with fireworks.
Looking west on Cameron Ave. Smoke and explosions from ignited fireworks could be seen and heard from across town.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON Firefighter Schaefer hoses down the trailer.
Crews continue to dig through the pile of fireworks while also looking for any secondary fires that the initial fire may have caused.
The fire produced a substantial amount of smoke as fireworks crackeled and smoldered.
Smoke and water are pushed out as crews attack the trailer fire from both sides.
A trailer full of fireworks created quite the buzz (or bang if you will) when it erupted on the afternoon of June 15 and gave many Silver Valley residents an earlier than usual fireworks show.
According to Shoshone County Fire District 2 chief Mark Aamodt, the truck and trailer, driven by Jerome Abrahamson, pulled into the Gondolier gas station on Cameron Avenue to get gas before continuing its journey to a nearby reservation.
Once Abrahamson was pulled into the gas station, he noticed smoke pouring from one of the trailer’s vents and quickly realized that he had to act quickly and get the trailer away from the gas station to limit the threat to other people.
Thinking quickly, he pulled out of the Gondolier and took off down Cameron past McDonalds before pulling over.
He then got away from his truck as quickly as possible before the impromptu smoke and firework show began.
Aamodt praised the quick reactions of the driver and, even though there was nearly $30,000 in damages, no one was harmed and an even bigger disaster was avoided.
“The owner of the vehicle did a very good job in getting the vehicle to an area that was more open,” Aamodt said. “He discovered the fire when stopped for fuel. After hearing several pops he discovered smoke coming from a vent. He immediately moved the truck away from the gas pumps to a location down the road.”
SCFD 2 was able to push water through a melted vent and extinguish the fire without opening the trailer, but that did not stop some of the festival ball/motor rounds from igniting and punching holes through the roof of the trailer.
Spectators where treated to the sights and sounds of several lit fireworks before fire crews were able to douse the flames.
There were no injuries from the explosions and fire, but crews did have to put out a few small spot fires in the field North of where the truck was stopped.
At this point, the cause of the fire is undetermined, but ideas such as overheated brakes or axles causing a fuse to ignite or the possibility of an errant cigarette being tossed on the freeway, were batted around by spectators and some of the authorities at the scene.
Since the incident is being viewed as an accident, there is no formal investigation by the Kellogg Police Department.