Fireworks in the News 2017 Part Four
It’s once again time for us to take a look back at when fireworks were featured in the news, this time for the final three months of 2017.
As we all know, the final three months of the year is firework season, and as such we cover events such as Halloween, Bonfire Night, and New Year’s Eve at the time. Click those links to see what we were talking about and the best fireworks displays from those events, and we’ll look at what else fireworks related was in the news here.
We’ll be rounding up all our fireworks in the news posts from 2017 in February, but for now you can click the links to see parts one, two, and three from the first nine months of 2017.
Here’s what was in the news in the last three months of 2017.
Owner Arrested After Fireworks ‘Factory’ Explosion and Deaths
Explosions at fireworks factories across the world sadly seem to be becoming all the more common. The biggest tragedy is that these incidents almost always seem to be avoidable or come about because laws or regulations have been ignored or broken in some manner.
This seemed to be the case in Indonesia in October, where 47 were killed following two explosions at a location on the outskirts of the capital, Jakarta. The owner of the company and the premises manager were later arrested and it was revealed that the company and premises was permitted to package fireworks, but not to produce them, which was happening. It is thought the explosions were triggered by sparks from a welder doing work in the building.
Dog Rescued After Being Frightened by Fireworks
It’s well known that pets can be frightened by fireworks, and something that we look to cover in the run up to Bonfire Night each year.
Perhaps the most notable story of this nature from all of 2017 was that of Taba in Watford.
Taba, having been frightened by the sound of exploding fireworks nearby, escaped her home through a window and across the conservatory roof, before being found the next evening wedged between two walls.
Taba was found when the owner of the house where she became stuck went to investigate after her cat began acting strangely, and firefighters spent three hours rescuing her.
Manchester Yobs Throw Fireworks at Firefighters
If there’s one thing we’d like for 2018, it’s for us to be able to go through the whole year without having to talk about idiots misusing fireworks.
2017’s leading contenders for biggest tools when it comes to fireworks is probably Manchester, where firefighters were pelted with fireworks by yobs while aiming to keep the public safe on Bonfire Night.
Diwali Fireworks Limited Due to Smog
Following 2016’s Diwali celebrations in India, which led to the capital city New Delhi being enveloped in a thick, toxic smog, the use of fireworks as limited for 2017, with firecracker sales banned completely and restrictions placed on when fireworks could be used.
Read more about the New Delhi fireworks restrictions and the reaction at NPR.
