A Fourth of July celebration in Southern California turned deadly after a massive fireworks explosion killed a young woman, seriously injured two adults and sent a child to the hospital.
The violent blast erupted Saturday night in Chino, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, as residents were celebrating Independence Day, according to police.
Investigators believe a large quantity of fireworks suddenly ignited, triggering an enormous explosion that also set a nearby vehicle on fire.
Derion Tradon James Jr., 28, was detained at the scene and later booked on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, the Chino Police Department said.
Witness Gabriel Gilmore described the explosion as so powerful that it sounded like a home had been destroyed by a ruptured gas line.
“There was a humongous explosion,” Gilmore told ABC’s Los Angeles affiliate KABC. “The explosion was so loud, it’s what I would assume a gas line in a house blew up.”
Gilmore said the cloud of smoke rising from the scene was nearly as large as a house.
Emergency crews rushed four injured people to the hospital following the blast.
A woman in her 20s later died from her injuries, police confirmed Sunday. Authorities have not publicly released her identity.
Two other adults suffered serious injuries, though police said both are expected to survive.
A child was also injured in the explosion but has since been treated and released from the hospital.
The exact cause of the fireworks ignition remains under investigation.
A Chino Police Department spokesperson told ABC News that the case remains “active and ongoing.”
Detectives are working alongside the Ontario Fire Department’s bomb squad to determine exactly how the fireworks exploded and whether additional charges could be filed.
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I think it is time to stop all fireworks in the US. So many Americans are injured or killed by them. The only way they should be used is if licensed people in stadiums or large fields with the approval of the local Fire Department. My neighborhood was a mess and there were many incidences of injury.