Old fireworks critically injure two men, prompting warning from Wichita police

Wichita police are warning people not to pick up an unknown objects that might be fireworks or an explosive after two men were injured Friday by fireworks they found in separate incidents.

EMS took both men to the hospital in critical condition.

“Unexploded fireworks and suspicious items can detonate with little warning,” police said in a news release. “Some devices look damaged, old, or harmless and still explode when picked up, shaken, or lit. Others have unstable fuses or damaged casings that can ignite unexpectedly.”

Police said, with unknown objects that might be fireworks or an explosive, it is best to not touch it but leave the area and call 911.

In both cases, the Wichita Police Department bomb squad responded and a bomb K-9 was brought in to sweep the area for more fireworks.

The first call was at 12:46 p.m. for a reported shooting, later reported as an explosive device, in the 1100 block of South Emporia.

Police found a 39-year-old man with “major injuries to his stomach and left hand.” Officers applied a tourniquet to the man’s hand.

“Preliminary investigation indicates the man picked up a suspicious object,” police said. “Further investigation revealed that the object was a celebratory firework that failed to detonate and then exploded.”

Police said Friday that the man was in critical but stable condition.

The second call was for an explosion at 2:14 p.m. in the 2400 block of George Washington Boulevard.

“A 37-year-old man suffered severe injuries after an unknown object believed to be an older firework exploded in his hand,” police said. “Investigators learned the man found the item near the 1700 block of S. Hillside, lit it and intended to throw it into the water.”

EMS took him to the hospital in critical but stable condition.