NEWSLINE: EXPLOSION ROCKS SIKESTON FIREWORKS

SIKESTON -- "A small explosion" abruptly ended a July Fourth display at Sikeston Saturday night when nearly $7,000 worth of fireworks exploded within seconds.

Two members of the Sikeston Elks Lodge No. 2319 received minor injuries. They were treated and released from the Missouri Delta Medical Center Hospital in Sikeston.

The annual display is sponsored by the Sikeston Elks.

The show began around 9 p.m. About 10 minutes into the aerial display, one of the live fireworks came back into the box, igniting the rest of the fireworks, said Harry Holsinger, lodge secretary, who was at the scene.

"We had only fired about a dozen shots," he said. The lodge had purchased about $7,000 worth of fireworks for the show.

"It only lasted 30 to 45 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity," said Holsinger. "They all went off right after each other. With all that fire power going off, we were lucky no one was seriously hurt."

About 10 members of the Elks were helping to set off the fireworks. "Most of us jumped into the lake when it went off. It was the only place to go," he said.

Most of the fireworks exploded on the ground. "It was a disappointing end to the display," he said.

Several thousand spectators were on hand, he said, but none of them were injured. The crowd was down from year's past because it had rained up until an hour before the display.

Holsinger said it was "a freak thing," but he noted the club would take different precautionary measures in the future.

"I can tell you one thing, I'll never forget this July Fourth," he said.