Aberdeen Fire Department responds to severe fireworks injuries
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 8, 2025
According to the Aberdeen Fire Department (AFD), although Fourth of July weekend was uneventful regarding fire responses related to fireworks, AFD did respond to two major incidents due to severe injuries associated with the use of fireworks.
At approximately 8 p.m. on Friday, a six-year-old child in Cosmopolis was struck with a firework resulting in injuries to the child’s face and eyes. AFD crews, assisted by the Cosmopolis Fire Department, treated the patient who was then airlifted by LifeFlight from the scene to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
The second incident occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. in South Aberdeen when a male in his 20s received a severe hand injury when a firework detonated while he was holding it. Airlift was requested but was unavailable due to extended response times.
AFD transported the patient to Harbor Regional Health. A four-year-old was also involved in that incident but was taken to the hospital by private vehicle prior to AFD’s arrival. This patient was said to have some form of facial injuries.
“Both of these instances were preventable and are reminders of the dangers of fireworks,” said Aberdeen Fire Chief Dave Golding. “Following simple fireworks safety precautions are key to avoiding injuries such as these.”
In 2024, fireworks were responsible for 156 injuries and 271 fires in Washington state, with the highest concentration of incidents occurring on the Fourth of July according to a report by the Washington state Fire Marshal’s office. Nationally, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported an estimated 47,000 fireworks related injuries.
Over the three-day holiday weekend, AFD responded to a total of 49 calls for service, 10 for non-fireworks-related fire responses.
