The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Copyright 2006 Madison Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
WALES, Wis. — A flash fire gutted part of a fireworks factory Wednesday, severely burning two people and injuring a third, authorities said.
One of several buildings at the Bartolotta Fireworks property caught fire around 9:15 a.m., injuring three members of the family that owns the company, Waukesha County Sheriff’s Detective Steve Pederson said.
Dominic Bartolotta, 30, and Rocco Bartolotta, 22, suffered second- and third-degree burns and were being treated at Columbia-St. Mary’s Burn Center in Milwaukee, said hospital spokeswoman Kathy Schmitz.
The two remained in stable condition Wednesday afternoon and were expected to remain in the burn unit for several weeks, Schmitz said.
A third man, Anthony Bartolotta, 32, was treated for burn injuries at Waukesha Memorial Hospital and released.
The factory, which is about 30 miles west of Milwaukee, manufactures fireworks for large-scale pyrotechnic displays put on in Milwaukee and other communities throughout the region.
Pederson said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
“The building was still standing when we got there,” he said. “If there had been a traditional big explosion it would have been obliterated.”