Woman Dies, Nine Injured After Michigan Fireworks Explosion

One woman was killed and nine others had to be hospitalized after an explosion at a private fireworks show in West Michigan Monday night.

The incident occurred around 11 pm Monday (7/3) at a fireworks display taking place on private property in Park Township. The community of Park Township is about 10 miles west of Zeeland on the shore of Lake Michigan.

What Happened at the Fireworks Show?

Grand Rapids TV station WXMI-TV shared the video which was provided by viewer Abby Terpstra. The video shows the fireworks that were just before things went horribly wrong. A neighbor tells the TV station that he heard a loud 'boom' which he thought sounded out of place.

Officials in Ottawa County say a firework exploded. A 43-year-old woman from Holland was fatally injured by the blast. First responders found her unresponsive when they arrived on the scene and were unable to save her. Nine other people were also injured.

The explosion also caused damage to several neighboring homes and vehicles.

Neighbors Respond After the Explosion

Kirk Garvelink lives nearby. He says he also heard the loud 'boom' which he felt was suspicious.

"We went back to bed at like 11 p.m. -- just heard, like, more fireworks, then you think it's done then you heard a big boom," he says. "And I was just lying in bed and thought I'm just gonna get up and look at the garage and then the back streets is just full of flashers. Then, I got up, like, around 3 o’clock to go to the bathroom and they were still out here. So, I knew something bad happened."