Firework Blows Off Most of Girl’s Hand

BELOIT, Wis. – A powerful firework blew off most of a 15-year-old girl’s hand, authorities said Thursday.

Beloit Fire Chief Brad Liggett said the girl held the illegal firework in the palm of her right hand the night of July Fourth, instead of putting it on the ground to ignite. When the firework exploded, it blew most of her hand off, he said.

The girl, whose name was not released because of her age, was taken to Beloit Memorial Hospital Emergency Room and later transferred to University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison.

Paramedics went to a residence at about 10:15 p.m. and found the girl alone. Investigators were working to determine who supplied the device to the girl, police said in a statement.

“This stuff is dangerous,” Liggett said. “It’s illegal.”