Neighborhood runs for cover as U-Haul full of fireworks explodes, Ohio video shows
Independence Day celebrations in a Toledo, Ohio, neighborhood turned disastrous when a U-Haul truck filled with fireworks exploded, sending screaming projectiles in all directions.
Video taken from the front porch of a nearby home shows neighbors setting off fireworks in the street, people of all ages clustered together outside, and sudden chaos as the truck catches fire and its cargo ignites. (Warning: video contains a lot of strong language.) The explosion is at about the 2:35 mark in the video.
A crowd of close to a dozen gathered near the truck take cover or take off running, video shows, multi-color rockets whizzing past them.
A woman is seen shielding a little girl on the porch. Several pieces of bright shrapnel fly toward them, and one appears to hit the girl in the head, or come very close to it. She can be heard crying as the woman carries her away seconds later.
The woman is Toledo resident Val McKee, WTOL reported, and the girl she’s protecting is her daughter. McKee said Sunday night was frightening for both of them, but especially her daughter.
At least three people were injured and taken to the hospital, according to Toledo Fire & Rescue.
Their conditions and the extent of their injuries are not clear.
The cause of the fire, which occurred around 10 p.m., is under investigation, the department said.
While it is illegal to set off fireworks in the state of Ohio, it is legal to buy them, WTVG reported.
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