An 8-year-old girl was attacked by illegal fireworks on July 4, according to the Buena Park Police Department.
On Friday night, officers patrolling the 8000 block, patrolling the 8000 block, saw several people frantically bringing their children into a residence after multiple fireworks blasts in the area. Police said the girl was taken to UCI Medical Center where she was pronounced dead after she suffered a fireworks-related explosion.
The initial investigation found that homeowners placed fireworks on the street. Fireworks began to catch fire at the girl’s residence and other places where the fireworks were illegal. Then these fireworks ignited and hit the girl. Several others were present, but were not injured.
The homeowner was arrested; the charges in the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are yet to be heard.
The girl’s identity is being denied and the incident remains investigated by Buena Park Police, Orange County Fire Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad.
“The large number of fireworks that were detonated are illegal according to investigations and assistance from fire investigators and bomb squads,” Buena Park police said.
A firework explosion in Pacoima killed a man and seriously injured him and another woman burned four homes. Another explosion that day killed a man in the Simi Valley. A fireworks-related house fire hurt two people in the town of San Francisco in Hayward, the Bay Area.
While law enforcement officers reminded of the dangers and violations of unauthorized fireworks performances, many residents in Los Angeles County continued to light fireworks Friday nights and early Saturday mornings. KTLA-5 footage showed multiple fireworks erupted during street takeover on Highway 110 on Saturday, which left traffic stagnant.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, last year, the number of deaths and injuries related to fireworks increased. In 2024, 11 people died from firework-related injuries, with an estimated 14,700 injured – an increase of about 38% and more than 50% of injuries.
