Did anyone see on the news, what happened in Denmark this week? A firework factory exploded (I missed what they said about the cause of the explosion though) in Denmark and killed one firefighter and hurt 6 other. It happened during darkness, so the "unintentional show" was spectacular and you could see rockets exploding everywhere.....looked like the most intense finale I have ever seen. I had mixed emotions about it though, because it was so beautiful to see, but at the same time, I learned that one firefighter died because of it.......It's so sad Did anyone see that on the news on TV?

yes i did,

it was amazing, I'm still looking for the video to download, it was really crazy

this happened many times in the past, thro

http://konsol.tv2.dk/konsol2/flad/kanal/607106/udsendelse/1534362/klip /1534622.asx

http://konsol.tv2.dk/konsol2/flad/kanal/607106/udsendelse/1534362/klip /1534624.asx

Tragic indeed - it wasn't actually a factory but a warehouse storing around 2000 tonnes (that's right, two thousand) of consumer fireworks.

Paul.

I am probably the only member of this forum from Denmark, so i could fill you in on some additional details about the accident.

The fire started at 2:30 PM when a worker in a container accidently dropped a box of fireworks which ignited. Half an hour later one container exploded and set 2 other containers on fire. Fragments from the explosion went throgh the wall to the main warehouse, which is then set on fire. The mayhem is loose at 6 PM. Then the main explosion consisted of 300 tonnes of net. explosives / chemicals.

And now for my addition:
Here in Denmark we respected them for being very minded at safety and when it can happen for them we know for sure that it WILL happen again! It is only a matter of time.

It is the largest accident with fireworks i can remember i Scandinavia. It has done more damage than any other disaster in Denmark since world war 2. Since the company followed all the rules and got a new permission august this year, all politicians and other authorities are debating these days and will take radical acts to change the rules.

We know for sure that it will affect the fireworks businnes in denmark severely and make it very difficult for pyrotechnicians to run our business.

I spoke to the responsible for the disaster emergency in denmark (i think it's called that in english?), who confirmed that all companies will be reviewed whether they should be allowed to have a permission or not. I hope our company will remain...

For now my thoughs goes to the family who ran the company, the killed fireman and the 350 families who's homes are blown apart, burned or damaged severely.

It is mentioned above that beautifull. When i saw the explosion on television i thought of it as a kilometer-wide fireball of death that more than anything before has reminded me that the ultimate beauty of the shows in Montreal is so close to death. I can feel for myself that my passion suffered from the explosion. I appologize if i sound too depressed - on the other side i believe people on this forum has the insigt to understand my emotions.

Sincerely,
Lars


Here are some links for pictures:
[url=http://i2.tv2.dk/gallery/gallery.php?id=1535144&site=nyhederne.tv 2.dk
]http://i2.tv2.dk/gallery/gallery.php?id=1535144&site=nyhederne.tv2.dk
[/url]

[url=http://i2.tv2.dk/gallery/gallery.php?id=1539793&site=nyhederne.tv 2.dk
]http://i2.tv2.dk/gallery/gallery.php?id=1539793&site=nyhederne.tv2.dk
[/url]

And another newsprogramme - mark in the checkbox at the right at hit play:
http://www.dr.dk/player/Player.asp?subsite=nyheder&WMPVer=7.1.0.3055&i d=&name=nyheder&video=&videoTitle=&ListType=nyheder&checkbox1=empty

If you want more information, just ask...

Hi Lars,

Thank you for the details about this sad event. Yes, I know I said the fireworks looked beautiful in the dark sky, but I was so sad to learn afterwards, that someone died because of the explosion. It is really a tragedy. My thoughts go out to all those who were affected by this unfortunate accident.

And hey....we understand why you feel depressed about this event, Lars......it also reminded me of how dangerous fireworks can be when not handled properly.

Sincerely

Pierre

Hi Pierre

Thank you for your thoughts and understanding - it is appreaciated. Really!

That's the beauty of the business on the other hand, that most pyros have a common understanding nomatter where they live.

Just one comment - the company was very safety-minded. That's why it's so shocking for the rest of us here in Denmark. I am going to a meeting tonight with the business and hope that people will show respect instead of the usual unfriendly aproach, we often see in denmark. There are so few of us here, so i would hope we could share our passion instead... nevermind...

Lars

is it true that another girl called sheena died too? can anyone find out for me it would mean a lot to me
thanks

Hi

I can confirm that 1 person died from the accident. He was a firefighter aged 37. So it is not the person you fear dead...

Lars

whats the full name of that fireman?

His name first name was Soeren... I don't recall his last name...

Lars

Hello,

Wow..................

I didn't hear about this explosion. From what I read from you guys, it sounds very tragic and surprising.

It just goes to show how dangerous fireworks can really be! The irony of it all is that it's so beautiful to watch and admire, but, as Pierre said, it can be very hazardous and dangerous if not handled with proper care and the knowledge and use of the materials.

Once again, a very depressing story.

Trav.

thanks lars

http://www.funnyjunk.com/movies/11/Firework+Factory+Explodes/stream

Thats what happened in a city close to where i life.
Watch whole the video, a part of that city was destroyed by those 2 explosions.
It was a hot sunny day at that moment, and that was what saved many lifes.
With rain, manny people would have been at home.

Still 23 were killed and a complete part of the city was destroyed.

That was really something else!

Regards,

Trav.

Everything need take carefully, not only fireworks, if they can use fireworks carefully according to the labels, Do you think this kind thing would happened? Fireworks is an dangerous products, you need pay more attention to it, i think you can enjoy it if you can challenge yourself, do what you need to do to ban dangerous accidents.
Regards!

Liuyang Fireworks Li In China

Since the season for consumer fireworks is now over, i thought it could be interessting for the visitors on the forum to have an update on how things went after the explosion we had in Denmark 3 months ago:

Regarding the damages:
- The damages has so far been calculated to exceed 175 million CAD.
- Around 200 homes were completely destroyed and has to be torn down and rebuild from scratch.
- It is estimated that it will take around 1-2 years before the neighborhood is back to the previous standard.

Regarding the consumer fireworks business:
- The largest consumer fireworks companies sales went down by 40% so i fear we will se at least one company close.
- 35% of the permissions to sell the fireworks were withdrawn due to tightening of the rules.
- Outside the sales places there used to be 2 x 20” containers. This year there only given permission for 1 x 10” container which had to be surrounded by a fence and guarded by a person.
- The distance from the door of the container to the nearest home was expanded from 20 to 40 meters.

The rules for storing is naturally also affecting the display fireworks ”business”. For instance we have 2 containers placed in the middle of nowhere – it’s almost as far away from civilisation that the tax authorities forget you . We have been forced to move some containers that pointed towards each other. The local head of the police department just commented that he agreed that it was absolutely nonsense and there was no apparent reason for doing so, since it’s hardly improving the safety.

I believe the restrictions were made so tight were also because we are having an election here in 2005. There is no rationale for changing the rules for sales places when it was a large warehouse in the middle of a neighborhood that exploded – The rest of the warehouses were not imidiately affected, but will be forced to move this year instead.

My current problem is that i’m a member of the political party, whos front figure tightened the rules

Lars

Lars,

Wow, I didn't know it caused so much destruction! I knew it would disrupt business and tighten up rules and restrictions, but that's quite a bit of money regarding damages, not to mention property damage.

Lars, where do you go from here? As a member of the political party, do you have any obligations regarding the situation?

Regards,

Trav.

Hi Trav

I just want to add that i'm not an "active" and progressive member of a political party - just a member to support the oppionions, that's all. So in that way i will not do anything.

Besides all the factories have been protesting wildly so one voice more or less would not have any effect, i suppose. Aother problem is also that the union of firework distributors in denmark was very passive and not doing enough lobbying to stop the tightening of the rules... But i still doubt it would have had any effect...

And now for my final statement: This year NOBODY in denmark was injured because of a malfuntion or defect piece of fireworks. The accidents we saw were caused by idiots (!) who fired rockets into human-crowds and held all types of fireworks in the hand.
Therefore: What good is it to tighten the rules at the sales places when the warehouses are not affected and the consumers act irrisponsibly as soon as the champagne-corks are blown?!

Paul mentioned the term "ban idiotism"... Sadly, that would only be possible in the perfect world. Dont get me wrong, but i don't feel that sorry for drunk people who get injured acting stupid around fireworks in a maner that could inspire JackAss to new episodes... But I am deeply sorry for a 6-year old danish boy who was killed by a rocket lanched horizontally down a street, which unfortunately hit him in the chest and killed him instantly.

Anyways - I guess i'm lucky that the auditor-business is more stabile and safe

Best regards
Lars

Hi Lars,

Well, lets hope that nothing like this ever happens again. I'm still truly touched by this story and I'm happy that you can fill us in with the details.

Like I said before, it's the irony that fireworks is such a beautiful thing to admire and view with our own eyes, but at the same time it can be extremely fatal if tampered with or exposed to the wrong hands. This is the true nature of it. You must have the ability to control and the know-how to operate pyrotechnics. In fact, sometimes even people who are experienced with handling and working with fireworks and the whole ordeal, are sometimes the ones who can potentially get hurt, especially since they're exposed to chemicals and other hazardous compounds. My point is that things can also happen unsuspectedly. Although, in this situation, many homes and properties were damaged, it's clear that we can see the power of this accident.

As for "banning idiots," yes I agree. The ones who cause the accidents are the ones who are careless and have no cause for concern. This ideology would prove to be useful if one links all the care free people who hurt themselves when dealing with pyrotechnics. All I'm saying is that they brought it on themselves and should be blamed if it harmed other people in some way. I am also terribly sorry to hear that such a young boy was killed that way.

Anyways, I don't really want to pursue this topic too much because it sort of gets me down when I think about it. I'm also happy to hear that regulations and rules are tighter than ever, which they should always be!

BTW, Lars, any changes about you coming to Montreal this summer, or is that big assignment that you were telling Enkil and myself about, still in progress?

Regards,

Travis.

Hi Smoke

Sorry for the late reply...

I pretty much agree in the points you have and it looks as if people posting on this topic all share the same viewpoint on accidents like this - which is a good thing...

And no, there won't be any change of my plans - so I won't be in Montreal this summer... Like i said i had to great summers and met some people i owe a lot for contributing so much to my vacations.

Instead i'm playing with the thought of going to the competition in Tarragona in Spain this summer. I's only a week and closer, so I still have enough time for my assignment.

Lars

That's great, Lars. I'm so happy to hear that things are turning out well for you in the long run.

Well, you could always read our thoughts on the shows.

I wish you all the best! And make sure that you check in with us more frequently.!

Regards,

Trav.