firecrackers

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Fatal Blasts Hit 2 Separate Sites Housing Explosives

9 are dead after explosion at Thai fireworks warehouse; 8 die in firecracker plant blast in India

(Newser) - A large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand on Saturday killed at least nine people and wounded scores, officials said. The governor of the province of Narathiwat, Sanan Pongaksorn, told public broadcaster Thai PBS that at least 115 people were hurt, and that many were in serious condition....

City Workers Hurt in 'Absolute Embarrassment' of a Prank

2 Detroit municipal employees injured after someone put firecrackers under toilet seats

(Newser) - "Two things that don't mix—firecrackers and toilets." That's an understatement from FOX 2 after an apparent prank gone awry in Detroit resulted in injuries to two municipal employees. The Metro Times reports the General Services Department workers were hurt Wednesday after they used toilets in...

Nobody Sees the Humor in Florida Firecracker Prank

Girl, 9, woke to an explosion under her bed

(Newser) - In what he called "a prank gone wrong," a man faces charges in Florida after allegedly lighting firecrackers and throwing them under the bed of a sleeping 9-year-old girl. Matthew Morrison, 44, was living in a tent outside a home in Crestview, Florida, sheriff's officials say in...

'Guarded' Prognosis for Cat Tortured With Firecracker

Someone put the explosive into Katy P.'s rectum

(Newser) - They named her Katy P., after Katy Perry and her "Firework" song, but the backstory behind an Ohio cat's new moniker is more horrific than inspiring. People notes the tabby is "lucky to be alive" after someone's cruel decision to place a lit firecracker into the...

Teen Is Main Suspect in Raging Oregon Wildfire

Witness says she saw him throw a firecracker into canyon

(Newser) - A wildfire that started over the weekend in Oregon torched at least 10,000 acres, stranded more than 150 hikers, and forced the evacuation of multiple towns—and officials think a teen fooling around with firecrackers may be to blame. The Columbian reports that a 15-year-old boy from Vancouver, Wash....

Guy Throws Lit Fireworks Over White House Fence

Secret Service doesn't dawdle in taking him down

(Newser) - An unidentified man chose yesterday—the day of the Washington Navy Yard mass shooting —to throw lit fireworks over the White House fence. Not surprisingly, he was immediately tackled by Secret Service agents. An eyewitness tells the Daily Beast the firecrackers were a bit bigger than cherry bombs, and...

Jet Passenger Tried to Ignite Powder

Nigerian claims ties to al-Qaeda; plane lands safely in Detroit

(Newser) - Authorities have taken a Nigerian man into custody after he reportedly tried to ignite a powdery substance—initially reported as firecrackers—aboard a Northwest jet that landed in Detroit from Amsterdam today. The man told federal officials he had links to al-Qaeda and wanted to blow up a plane over...

Pyrotechnics Likely Caused Thai Club Fire

Club was ill-equipped for fire safety

(Newser) - Firecrackers or a pyrotechnic New Year's display are the likely culprits in last night’s Bangkok nightclub blaze that killed 61 people and injured 200, the BBC reports. Witnesses said flames shot from a stage set the ceiling on fire, which then fell onto terrified partygoers. “People were screaming...

Festive Brits Blow Up Palin Effigy
Festive Brits Blow Up
Palin Effigy

Festive Brits Blow Up Palin Effigy

400-year-old tradition 'roasts' politicians

(Newser) - It was all in good fun, insisted a group of Brits yesterday after they exploded an effigy of Sarah Palin, which was packed with firecrackers. The spectacular send-off was the climax of an annual bonfire celebration in the southern town of Battle, which traditionally blows up an effigy of someone...

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