BUENA PARK, California. (Ingleside index) — An 8-year-old girl died from injuries she sustained during an illegal July Fourth fireworks display in a Buena Park neighbourhood, authorities announced Saturday.
The child suffered injuries around 9:45 p.m. Friday in the 8000 block of Cornflower Circle, north of La Palma and Stanton avenues, the Buena Park Police Department reported. Officers had been patrolling the area after witnessing a large amount of fireworks explode in the vicinity when they saw family members “frantically carrying a child into a residence.”
The officers stopped and performed life-saving measures before paramedics transported the girl to UC Irvine Medical Center, where medical staff pronounced her dead.
“Initial investigation revealed that a large illegal fireworks display, which the homeowner had placed in the street, malfunctioned and began firing toward the residence where the child was located,” police stated Saturday. “This triggered other illegal fireworks nearby to ignite, affecting the child and others in the area. The child sustained fatal injuries after being struck at some point during the incident. Several other people were present, but authorities reported no significant injuries among them.”
The department noted that they arrested the homeowner, with charges pending review by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The BPPD collaborated with Orange County Fire Authority investigators and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad on the case.
Authorities have not released the child’s identity.
