The fire department will be searching Crystal Lake after several undetonated mortars possibly fell into the water when a “significant” firework mishap occurred during the city’s annual fireworks show.
Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Chief Craig Snyder said the incident happened approximately seven minutes into the Independence Day fireworks show Sunday evening.
Snyder said a “significant event” occurred on the platform causing a shell to detonate in the launch tube.
The incident severely affected the show’s ability to continue as planned. No injuries were reported.
“The City of Crystal Lake would like to thank all of you who turned out for the annual 4th of July fireworks celebration despite some early weather and technical challenges,” Snyder said.
The show was immediately stopped but pyro technicians from the city’s fireworks vendor, American Fireworks Company headquartered in Hudson, Ohio, later continued to intermittently launch several fireworks.
Snyder said the launching of those fireworks was not part of the original choreographed show and was instead done to render the boat safe for docking on shore.
“The City of Crystal Lake would like to apologize to those in attendance as this show did not meet the expectations set forth by the City and previous 4th of July celebrations,” Snyder said.
“We hope to see you again next year and wish you a safe and happy summer season,” he added.
Many attendees of the show were left confused by the mishap.
One attendee told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that a large firework shot horizontally across the water toward the crowd.
The man said there was no finale to the show. “It seemed like they couldn’t get things back together after the mishap.”
The City of Crystal Lake said in a statement that the malfunction “may have” caused several undetonated mortars to fall into the water on Crystal Lake.
The fire department will be actively searching the lake this week, city officials said.
“However, if you see a shell washed upon shore, PLEASE CALL 911. Do not touch any debris you might find,” the statement said.