Fireworks gone wrong

bflynn

bflynn

Final Approach
Joined
Apr 24, 2012
Messages
9,820
Location
KTTA
Display Name
Display name:
Brian Flynn
Posting this separate from the Friday Joke thread because I suspect there will be some commentary.


Farmer's Insurance. We know a thing or two because we've see....WTH!?
 
The guy that yelled “run!” early in the video was right.
 
Nothing like keeping the entire cache of artillery within 10 feet of the stuff you're actively lighting, lol.
 
I’d like to see the aftermath. Were the neighbors applauding? Did the car go up in flames?
 
Thats a creative way to get out of a car payment.
 
I'm surprised that doesn't happen more around here. Fireworks are are readily available and legal in some jurisdictions, and even where they're technically not legal, nobody seems to care. As a result every street around here has multiple people setting off their own fireworks in their driveway.

In addition, most fireworks that you can buy aren't really labeled that well as to what they do. They all have fun names but that don't necessarily give any indication of whether they're a type that launches up and explodes, one that is like a roman candle, one that is more like a really big sparkler, one that just makes noise, etc.

It kind of amazes me that in a country where every single product you buy has extensive safety instructions, you know like "don't drink the acid from the car battery", fireworks just have a generic "you could die" warning.

We launched off some of our own this year, from an "assortment" we bought from a school fundraiser (yep! Oklahoma!). Let alone not knowing what they were going to do once lit, on some of them it was even hard to tell which end was the dangerous end.
 
Brings back a memory...
When I was a kid, my state didn't allow decent fireworks...but nearby states did, and often people would make "firework runs" to get the good stuff. One year, a well-to-do neighbor announced they were going to make a "firework run" and put on a show for the whole neighborhood. On July 4th, at dusk, about 30 of the neighbors headed over to their house...I was about 5 years old but I still remember it well...they had all the fireworks, mostly large bottle rockets, lined up on a dry, concrete bird bath. Their 10 year old son, who was a bit mentally-slow, was playing with a sparkler, throwing it up in the air, picking it up, and throwing it again. On his last throw, the sparkler landed in the bird bath...the result looked quite similar to your video!
 
RussR said:
I'm surprised that doesn't happen more around here. Fireworks are are readily available and legal in some jurisdictions, and even where they're technically not legal, nobody seems to care. As a result every street around here has multiple people setting off their own fireworks in their driveway.

In addition, most fireworks that you can buy aren't really labeled that well as to what they do. They all have fun names but that don't necessarily give any indication of whether they're a type that launches up and explodes, one that is like a roman candle, one that is more like a really big sparkler, one that just makes noise, etc.

It kind of amazes me that in a country where every single product you buy has extensive safety instructions, you know like "don't drink the acid from the car battery", fireworks just have a generic "you could die" warning.

We launched off some of our own this year, from an "assortment" we bought from a school fundraiser (yep! Oklahoma!). Let alone not knowing what they were going to do once lit, on some of them it was even hard to tell which end was the dangerous end.
Click to expand...

I just love the jurisdictions that want you to buy a permit in order to shoot them, lol. Celebrate freedom by paying the city $40. No irony there at all. Luckily we live outside of city limits so celebrating freedom didn't cost anything additional.
 
Country Flier said:
Brings back a memory...
When I was a kid, my state didn't allow decent fireworks...but nearby states did, and often people would make "firework runs" to get the good stuff. One year, a well-to-do neighbor announced they were going to make a "firework run" and put on a show for the whole neighborhood. On July 4th, at dusk, about 30 of the neighbors headed over to their house...I was about 5 years old but I still remember it well...they had all the fireworks, mostly large bottle rockets, lined up on a dry, concrete bird bath. Their 10 year old son, who was a bit mentally-slow, was playing with a sparkler, throwing it up in the air, picking it up, and throwing it again. On his last throw, the sparkler landed in the bird bath...the result looked quite similar to your video!
Click to expand...

Very common to make a run from Northeast OK to Southwest MO where bottle rockets were still sold. Plenty of fireworks stands just across the state line ready and waiting, lol.
 
Country Flier said:
Brings back a memory...
When I was a kid, my state didn't allow decent fireworks...but nearby states did, and often people would make "firework runs" to get the good stuff. One year, a well-to-do neighbor announced they were going to make a "firework run" and put on a show for the whole neighborhood. On July 4th, at dusk, about 30 of the neighbors headed over to their house...I was about 5 years old but I still remember it well...they had all the fireworks, mostly large bottle rockets, lined up on a dry, concrete bird bath. Their 10 year old son, who was a bit mentally-slow, was playing with a sparkler, throwing it up in the air, picking it up, and throwing it again. On his last throw, the sparkler landed in the bird bath...the result looked quite similar to your video!
Click to expand...

Know a guy that ended up in prison for making the firework runs when they were still illegal here in Michigan. Was still serving time after they changed the law.
 
EdFred said:
Know a guy that ended up in prison for making the firework runs when they were still illegal here in Michigan. Was still serving time after they changed the law.
Click to expand...
Re-selling them, I assume? I can't imagine anyone would care if they were for personal use...everyone had them...you couldn't tell at all that they were illegal.
 
Country Flier said:
Re-selling them, I assume? I can't imagine anyone would care if they were for personal use...everyone had them...you couldn't tell at all that they were illegal.
Click to expand...

I don't remember the exact details on whether it was possession or the reselling of them. But it was well into the 10s of 1000s of dollars he was bringing back. The authorities cared enough he got caught in a sting operation.
 
I set some off every year, including some of the big boomy stuff. But I don't live in town so there's space to do it in relative safety. TBH I kind of enjoy the backyard shows more than a lot of the big pro events. It's smaller but close enough it can fill your field of view and the effects are nearly as cool. Plus not having to deal with a bunch of traffic and crowds.
 
My BS meter is nudging a bit. I'm thinking that might have been staged. How do sparks alone manage to set off what appears to have been at least two caches of fireworks? (answer, they spark a fire, then the fuses ignite, but not that fast.)
 
Gary Ward said:
Reminds me of bottle rocket and BB gun fights we used have when I was a kid. lol
Click to expand...
We did that also. Ruined a fine North Face goose down jacket one New Years. Momma was a little P.O.'d. One of my partners in crime became an ophthalmologist and practices in Arkansas. The state optometrists were banding together to introduce a bill to outlaw 'penny rockets' due to eye injury concerns. When my buddy's referring optometrists asked for his support he declined and told them goggles can be worn to mitigate the risks as we were still having 'wars' when we would gather during the holidays as adults (the spouses would have a different opinion on whether the term adult would have been appropriate).
 
Sac Arrow said:
My BS meter is nudging a bit. I'm thinking that might have been staged
Click to expand...

Yeah, the guy in the blue T shirt appears to drop something in the box behind the car, then checks to make sure it lit, then the fun starts...

Then again he might have been checking on the kids that went that way.
 
Sac Arrow said:
My BS meter is nudging a bit. I'm thinking that might have been staged. How do sparks alone manage to set off what appears to have been at least two caches of fireworks? (answer, they spark a fire, then the fuses ignite, but not that fast.)
Click to expand...

When the explosive charge is exposed to direct heat, you don't need the fuse anymore. They will ignite immediately and violently.
 
WARNING. Do not watch if this stuff bothers you. And if you do watch, no bellyachin' afterwards...

 
You think alcohol may have been involved?
 
I recall running to a place in Maryland where you could buy them but only if you didn't have a maryland license. Since I was in Virginia and my buddy was military we loaded up. We fired off a few around 11:00pm waiting on new years and had a guy pull up extremely irate. He was screaming about how the fireworks woke his kid up and it caused him to have to go wake up the au pair (nanny) to take care of the kid. We waited until about 1am to shoot the rest of them off.
 
Back to the video...my favorite part is the guy next to the van...he realizes its all about to go off so what does he do? He stands there, and puts his fingers in his ears!
 
Country Flier said:
Back to the video...my favorite part is the guy next to the van...he realizes its all about to go off so what does he do? He stands there, and puts his fingers in his ears!
Click to expand...

Safety first!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top