A circulating video shows beachgoers running from a Maryland beach after workers accidentally set off a violent blast of fireworks.
The accidental detonation happened in Ocean City around 11 a.m. as employees of a fireworks company prepared for the city’s annual Fourth of July show, CNN reported.
Some workers sustained minor injuries but declined to seek medical attention. Those on the beach and boardwalk were also unharmed.
The area’s fire department responded to the scene thinking a vehicle had caught on fire, but the fireworks had only damaged it, officials reported.
“Our Fire Marshals are on the scene and will investigate the cause of the unintentional discharge,” said Fire Chief Richie Bowers in the statement.
Luckily, the department had established a “safe zone” before the incident. Had they not, more people could have been injured.
“Prior to the fireworks being offloaded from the vehicle, Fire Marshals secure a safe zone around the fireworks and put other safety protocols in place. It is this very zone and safety protocols that kept anyone else from being injured,” Bowers said.
The city’s annual Fourth of July display was canceled “out of an abundance of caution.”
