Fireworks seriously injured three men in Muscatine on Thursday afternoon, including one who lost his hand.
According to the fire and police departments, one of the men lit a mortar shell while holding it, and tried to throw it before the shell exploded. In the resulting explosion he lost his hand while a second man suffered injuries to his face, eyes, and ears, and the third man lost several fingers.
One was airlfted to a hospital in Iowa City, while the other two were taken by ambulance. And all three are expected to survive.
Assistant Fire Chief Michael Hartman says it's the most serious incident in Muscatine related to fireworks since the State of Iowa made the sale and discharge of fireworks legal two years ago.
The Muscatine Police Department responded to over 20 fireworks calls after the 10 pm, the deadline for legally exploding fireworks yesterday, including several calls concerning lighting fireworks on streets, roads, and inside Riverside Park. The fire department handled 12 calls.
The calls included one house fire, probably caused by improper use of fireworks.
