Nobody was injured after a firework launched into the Food Basics parking lot Saturday night.
Because of the weather forecast tonight, Stars and Thunder organizers announced Friday that they would try to launch the Canada Day fireworks a day early.
The weather conditions were looking favourable for the show, however the wind shifted toward the end of the Beach Boys concert on day seven of the music festival.
After firing a few test shots, about four minutes of the fireworks show was launched. The display paused for around 45 seconds before one last shot fired low, into the Food Basics parking lot.
“The firework went off and all we seen is sparks coming towards us,” recalled Chantal Mailloux. “I was sitting there and we just bolted.”
Mailloux is from Timmins and had caught most of the other shows throughout the week.
Her group was watching the final show from the parking lot across the street from the festival site. None of them were injured, however paramedics did attend to Mailloux because she was hyperventilating after the incident.
One of their canvas camping chairs had a hole burned through the seat and Mailloux said there is damage on their vehicle as well. Around the area there were black ash marks on the pavement, and near their vehicle a blue plastic cap.
Timmins Mayor Steve Black said they will have to wait for the full report from the people launching the fireworks to know what happened.
“Obviously you don’t want to see something like this happen with a firework heading in the direction to the crowd like that so we’re glad everyone’s okay,” said Black. “That’s why I came out here tonight just to check on the people that were over here and make sure they’re okay, so very happy that they were able to get out of the way and that the damage is to some of the belongings, but that every person’s okay. That’s obviously what we’re most concerned with. And I’ll wait for the full report from the fireworks’ guys.”
The weather will determine when the full fireworks show is launched.
Black said the wind direction tonight does not look good.
Looking at the forecast, he said “it looks like Tuesday is the next best day to fire.”
“We will wait to see and play it by ear, but I’ll wait to see what is going up at site when we get back and give us that report,” Black said.
