70-year-old man killed in fireworks accident in Wareham, police say
A 70-year-old man was killed in an apparent fireworks accident on July 4th in Wareham, Massachusetts.
It happened at 9 p.m. on Beach Street near Swift's Beach Friday night. Police said the man, Robert Spagnuolo of Wareham, suffered a facial injury from a firework and died at the scene.
According to witnesses, Spagnuolo was setting off fireworks at the beach when one exploded in his face. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the official cause of death.
Wareham Police, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, the State Police Bomb Squad and the Massachusetts Fire Marshal's Office are all investigating the incident.
On July 2, two people were injured in an explosion in Mashpee on Cape Cod when the fireworks for a show at the New Seabury Country Club hours before they were supposed to go off.
Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is the only state in the U.S. that prohibits the possession, use, and sale of fireworks without a permit and certification. This also includes fireworks that were legally bought in another state.
Officials ask that people refrain from shooting off their own fireworks and "leave fireworks to the professionals."
According to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, between 2020 and 2024, more than 200 people were treated for burns and other injuries associated with fireworks. They added that in the past five years, there have been more than 550 fires and explosions involving fireworks in Massachusetts. The injury rate for fireworks in Massachusetts is one in five, according to fire services.
For a list of official fireworks displays in the state, click
