The Associated Press
CRESTLINE, Kan.- An explosion killed two people and injured at least four others Thursday at a commercial fireworks storage site, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.
Neighbors said a single loud explosion was followed by several smaller blasts that shook homes in Crestline, a small town in southeast Kansas.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Carl McNorton said the blast at a large facility owned by Jakes Fireworks occurred as workers were handling fireworks stored in large containers and trailers.
Calls seeking comment from Jakes Fireworks headquarters in Pittsburg, about 20 miles away, were not immediately returned.
McNorton said agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco and the Kansas Highway Patrol were at the scene.
Chris Perez said he was working at his home near the entrance to the site when the explosion shook his house. When he reached the scene, he saw a trailer on fire and two men walking away with serious burns.
Jakes Fireworks sells fireworks wholesale in all 50 states and several countries, marketing products under names including World Class Fireworks, Piedmont Fireworks and Fireworks Spectacular, which produces large, public displays throughout the country.