Don’t Get Burned at Holiday Celebrations

Planning a big summer celebration? Don’t get burned.

We’re not talking about sunburn; we’re referring to fireworks, a frequent mainstay of holiday festivities, from Fourth of July to Labor Day and summer gatherings in the backyard. They’re also a major culprit in burns.

While setting off a firecracker, twirling a sparkler or lighting a bottle rocket might seem like a cool thing to do, one careless mistake can cause serious trauma, says Katie Hollowed, a nurse and burn program manager at the South Carolina Burn Center at MUSC Health.

“Fireworks are hot, hot, hot. When a firework goes awry, it can cause severe burns to the hand,” Hollowed says. “Severity of an injury varies, but people can lose fingers, even their hands and require skin grafts and extensive plastic surgery.”

Injuries often occur when someone picks up a firework after it fails to go off, or if they don’t let it go of it in time after lighting it. Hands aren’t the only vulnerable body part. “I’ve seen patients who’ve hidden fireworks in their pocket to avoid getting caught using them, only to have them explode and cause a severe injury to the groin,” she says.

Sparklers, which have become popular at wedding celebrations, are quite dangerous. “They’re pretty to look at, but people must be aware they’re actually waving sparks in the air, and one spark can set off a fire in dry leaves. Sparklers have gotten a lot bigger, and their temperature can reach 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Often, merrymakers don’t realize when they put them out just how hot that stem is, so many people wind up with third-degree burns.”

Anyone who uses a sparkler should put it in water immediately after using. Even better, don’t use them.

Hollowed says the majority of patients who arrive at the MUSC Health Emergency Department with firework injuries are young adults. When a burn patient arrives, the burn team is called to assess the patient’s injuries.

MUSC Health sees most injuries around the Fourth of July, mirroring national statistics, but injuries are scattered throughout the year since fireworks are legal in South Carolina, she says. According to a preliminary report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, an estimated 15,600 individuals were treated at hospital emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in 2020. Of those, an estimated 10,300 fireworks-related injuries were treated between June 21, 2020, and July 21, 2020. Approximately 1,600 injuries were from firecrackers, and 900 were from sparklers.

Hollowed urges anyone who wants to watch fireworks to take in a display put on by professionals. “Fireworks shows are all over the place during holidays, and they’re spectacular to watch. They’re put on by people who are trained to handle pyrotechnics.”

For people who are intent on doing their own display, Hollowed offers the following tips:

• Create a safe space for lighting fireworks about 25 feet wide, and preferably near sand and water and never close to dry leaves or straw.
• Never put a firework in a glass or metal container.
• Never let children to play around or ignite fireworks.
• Once you’ve ignited the firework, turn and run or walk away rapidly.
• If does not go off, don’t go back to it or try to relight it. Have a bucket of water nearby, douse the firework and then dispose of it.
• Light fireworks only outside.