This is hilarious... a malfunction during San Diego's July 4 celebration caused virtually all of their fireworks to ignite at once, creating a massive 25 second fireworks show. No-one was hurt, but the video is definitely worth watching: San Diego fireworks show blows up all at once | Hot Topics | an SFGate.com blog
I've always that that fireworks shows would be more fun if they moved at a faster pace, but that was bit excessive.
This happened a few years ago in a neighboring town. The barge exploded, sending shrapnel through the crowd. People were seriously injured, one died. I happened to be watching from across the bay, about 20 miles away. When the detonation occurred, it looked just like a military grade explosion with a hemispherical shock wave. I was perplexed until I realized that the show had suddenly stopped. Then it was obvious that something bad had happened. For our local fireworks show, the mortar tubes are buried in the sand on the beach. If anything explodes, the sand helps absorb the energy. The shells are lobbed out over the water, which makes it safer for everyone on shore, but sometimes a bit exciting for the numerous boaters who insist on anchoring immediately down range. They generally get swept by two or three short rounds each year. Tom
