Fireworks
children warned to stay away from fireworks Photo by Tairon Fernandez from Pexels

A San Diego surgeon warned the local community on keeping kids away from illegal fireworks after a 14-year-old boy was severely injured after a firework exploded in his hand this week.

Based on the statement of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, the incident happened before 7 p.m. Wednesday when they received a report that kids were playing with illegal fireworks at the Vista Skatepark on North Santa Fe Avenue.

A San Diego resident who was at an auto shop close to the area at the time, Aiden Simpson, shared that they heard a couple of fireworks go off, but suddenly they heard a louder one. Simpson stated that they heard a kid screaming and somebody shouted about the kid's hand, while another one shouted to call 911.

Paramedics arrived at the scene to treat the boy for injuries he acquired from his hand to his face. He was life-flighted to UC San Diego Medical Center. Authorities stated that the 14-year-old victim was seriously hurt, but he was expected to survive.

According to Fox 5 San Diego, Dr. Jay Doucet, a top surgeon with UCSD Health, stated that firework-related injuries are very common, and they do cause a significant amount of death and disability in the United States. Doucet also added that, unfortunately, the incidents of firework explosions and victims have gone up. The surgeon also mentioned that most serious accidents involve illegal fireworks or people who are not qualified to use commercial-grade fireworks.

The Bomb/Arson Unit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department is currently investigating the events which led up to the teen's injury in Vista, the Times of San Diego reported.

Meanwhile, 18 individuals were killed across the country after acquiring firework-related injuries last year. Around 15,000 individuals went to emergency rooms for having injuries related to fireworks, which is an increase compared to recent years.

Los Angeles Firework Explosion

On the same day, what was meant to be a controlled explosion of a large number of illegal fireworks in South Los Angeles led to disaster. Initial reports stated that 16 people were injured in the explosion, including three who were severely injured. However, updated reports have indicated that the number of injuries rose to 17.

The Los Angeles Police Department detonated a cache of homemade fireworks that it had seized. However, the detonation caused a major explosion on a residential block. The explosion also flipped and damaged cars and even smashed windows in nearby homes.

The LA Police Department exploded the devices at around 7.30 pm on Wednesday in an iron containment vessel on a tractor-trailer located in a South Los Angeles neighborhood, believing the vehicle would be able to contain the explosion. However, the LA police chief, Michel Moore, stated that it turned up into a total catastrophic failure, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Authorities were still investigating the incident, but it could take days to determine why what was supposed to be a safe operation to handle explosives that police said were unstable and turned into a huge explosion.

Also this week, authorities announced they had seized almost 80,000 pounds of illicit fireworks at the California-Nevada border within two months prior to the Fourth of July holiday.

RELATED ARTICLE: 16 Injured in Explosion After LA Police Confiscates Thousands of Pounds of Illegal

WATCH: Vista: 14-year-old airlifted after firework explodes in his hand (with interview) - News Flash Media