A private individual held a fireworks show an hour south of St. Louis in the city of Leadwood, where residents could watch from a neighboring park. However, shortly after the a show started, a mortar barrel prematurely exploded. Leadwood Fire Protection District Chief Charlie Lewis tells KMOX what caused the explosion.
"I guess [a firework] didn't get enough elevation, something hot fell into the barrel he had all his mortars in," said Chief Lewis. "Once it fell in and they all started to go off. It just went off like a large stick of dynamite."
Lewis says they were there when the barrel exploded.
"Getting through the crowd and the chaos was pretty tough... Then with everybody trying to figure out who was hurt and who wasn't hurt, it was pretty chaotic."
Lewis says in total five people suffered first or second degree burns, all refused medical treatment. One elderly woman was seriously injured when she fell and hit her head.