12 Jul Celebration fireworks cause barge fire
The American Independence Day Fourth of July celebration in Plymouth, Mass, had to be abandoned after a barge in the city’s harbour at the center of a fireworks display exploded and caught fire.
Thousands of visitors who had gone to the harbour specifically to watch the fireworks were left with no entertainment as a second barge involved in the display also caught fire. The Plymouth police department said the cause of the fire was a ‘malfunction’. No one was hurt on either barge.
One witness said: “Everything seemed to be going fine for the first ten to 15 minutes then suddenly there was a huge boom – everything that was on display went up and the fire on the barge seemed to linger for ten minutes.”