Multiple people were injured, one seriously, when stray fireworks fired into the audience during the Stadium of Fire concert in Provo, Utah.
**Provo, Utah** - Multiple people were injured, one seriously, when stray fireworks fired into the audience during the Stadium of Fire concert in Provo, Utah, on Thursday evening.
Videos surfaced on social media showing pyrotechnics not only firing into the stands, but also onto the field where people were either standing or in a seated area.
Rogue Fireworks Injure Concertgoers in Utah
Concertgoers were reportedly seen waving their hands in the air for officials to render help.
Firefighters immediately responded to reports of injuries in the crowd, according to Fox 13 in Salt Lake City.
Rogue Fireworks Injure Concertgoers in Utah
The incident happened at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the football facility for Brigham Young University. Just as the national anthem is heard ending, and as four fighter jets fly over the stadium, a fireworks display begins behind the stage.
According to Provo Police Department spokesperson Janna-Lee Holland, the incident happened just after the flyover.
Holland told KUTV that the number of injuries and each of their severities is unknown at the time.
Freedom Festival, which facilitates Stadium of Fire and other yearly events across the country, tweeted that all fireworks were "thoroughly checked" before Thursday’s show and then checked again after the incident.
"Safety is of the utmost importance to us. All pyrotechnics at Stadium of Fire are thoroughly checked before the show, and were rechecked after tonight’s incident. Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are okay."
After a pause in activities, the concert resumed with Jonas Brothers taking the stage around 9 p.m. and closing out the show with no other reported mishaps.
Fireworks at large gatherings in Utah are nothing new, like the ones that lit up the sky above the stadium for the grand finale of the Opening Ceremony of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games at the Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium.
However, this incident raises concerns about safety at such events and the need for proper precautions to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the future.
