Crestline — A third victim of a fireworks explosion in southeast Kansas last week has died.
Cody Soper, 21, of Scammon, died Saturday night at Saint John's Medical Center Burn Unit in Springfield, Mo.
Two men, Faron Trey Robinson, 27, and Daniel Lee Groves, 28, both of Scammon, were killed Thursday after an explosion caused a chain reaction of explosions and fire at the Fireworks Spectacular Inc. warehouse.
Four others were injured, including Soper, 21, and Craig Banke, 32, of Cherokee, who remains in the hospital.
Two others, Ryan Holding, 24, and Michael Lee Dalton Jr., 34, both of Columbus, were treated and released.
Authorities have said the six men were loading aerial display fireworks from a storage magazine to a trailer, which was headed to St. Louis for a series of fireworks displays there. The 40-acre storage site is 20 miles southeast of Pittsburg near the Missouri border.
Investigators said the fireworks shells were pre-squibbed, which means an electric match was attached to the shell's fuse before loading. They said most companies do this because it is considered safer than having pyrotechnicians attach matches in the field.
As the boxes were being loaded, witnesses said one box made a sound and exploded, setting off a chain reaction with the other crates.
The Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating.
Fireworks Spectacular produces large, public displays throughout the nation.
A company spokesman has said this was the first accident of this type in the company's history.
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.