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Three boys in San Bernardino suffered serious injuries on Tuesday night in a fireworks-related incident, reports the San Bernardino Sun.
Eric Sherwin, a firefighter and public information officer with San Bernardino County Fire, told LAist that the boys had been playing with a device that was "made or altered" by an adult on the scene. According to the L.A. Times, San Bernardino police say the boys were playing with fireworks and had tried to light up an aerosol can when it exploded, striking the boys with shrapnel.
"Three children were injured subsequent to the explosion," said Sherwin, describing the injuries as "ranging from moderate to severe." The children are reported to be 8, 9 and 10 years old.
The incident happened on the 2300 block of Cedar Street around 8:30 p.m. Two of the boys had run off by the time paramedics arrived; the two were each later transported to different hospitals by family members. The boy who had stayed at the scene was later transported by San Bernardino County Fire paramedics. According to the Sun, the injuries sustained by the two boys who'd left the scene were more severe. The Times says that at least one of the boys underwent surgery, and that one could possibly lose his fingers.
Christan Knox, a neighbor, told KTLA that she saw blood at the scene, describing it as "just crazy, chaos."
The boys weren't the only ones to have suffered injuries while playing with fireworks on the 4th of July. Sherwin told the Sun that the San Bernardino county saw more than a dozen people hurt, adding that " unfortunately, as so often is the case, it’s kids who are most likely hurt." In the L.A. area, at least two people had suffered "significant injuries" to their face and hands while playing with fireworks, the Los Angeles Fire Department told the Times.
