The 4th of July celebrations for some residents of Chelsea, Massachusetts, turned into something painful, because the fireworks were not seen in the sky but inside their house.
Captain Joe Conlon of the Chelsea Fire Department said that at 12:50 pm a fire was reported in the rear of a house affecting the front porch of the home.
Chelsea Firefighters, Chelsea Police, and the State Police determined that illegal fireworks caused the fire on the porch. Neighbors had told Captain Conlon that the company next door was setting off fireworks and they landed on the porch.
“It was a very large explosion made by the neighbors, with mortars, which they are not authorized to do, and that was what caused the whole fire,” said Óscar Amaya, one of those affected.
Amaya’s daughter was miraculously saved, “every day she goes out to play here on the porch, thank God we weren’t at home, and the neighbor’s people go out every day and were not at home, if it had happened it would have been one more misfortune big,” said Amaya.
No one was injured, but people were displaced due to water damage, authorities said.
In the course of the investigation, officials said they found additional fireworks hidden in the surrounding area and these were seized by State Police.
The investigation is ongoing.
