A girl was airlifted to a hospital Tuesday evening after a fireworks-related incident at a home in Lancaster, with rescuers arriving at the Calmae Drive address just minutes after the call came in. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the 700 block just before 4:30 p.m., and what first looked like one kind of emergency turned out to be something else entirely once deputies got a clearer picture of what happened.
According to ABC7 Los Angeles, initial reports suggested the incident involved a gunshot victim, but the sheriff's department later confirmed that no guns were involved at all. Officials instead described it as a fireworks-related accident. The victim was identified only as a female juvenile, and she was taken to a hospital in unknown condition, the station reported.
More specific timing came from MyNewsLA.com, which reported the girl was injured at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 700 block of Calmae Drive. Rescuers arrived at the scene just seven minutes after the reported injury, and the girl and a family member were flown to a hospital at 5:05 p.m. that evening, the outlet reported.
What Investigators Still Don't Know
The girl's age and the severity of her injuries were not disclosed, and there was no immediate word on how serious the harm was, per the same account. Details about how the child came into contact with the fireworks remained under investigation as of Wednesday, the outlet noted, and officials have not released additional details about the circumstances.
Fireworks injuries tend to follow familiar patterns nationally, even as the specifics of the Lancaster case remain unclear. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notes that people ages 15 to 24 accounted for the largest share of reported fireworks injuries, with hands and fingers representing 35% of frequently injured body parts and head, face, and ear injuries making up another 22%, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Other Southern California Fireworks Incidents This Year
The Lancaster incident follows other serious fireworks cases across the region this year. One woman died and three other people, including a child, were injured in a fireworks explosion during a Fourth of July gathering in Chino, ABC7 Los Angeles reported. Detectives believed a large quantity of fireworks ignited, seriously injuring three adults and a child and setting a vehicle on fire; a juvenile victim in that incident was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and later released to a parent or guardian.
In a separate case, an 8-year-old girl was killed in a fireworks accident in Buena Park, and a 47-year-old man, Earl Decastro, was later charged in connection with her death, MyNewsLA.com reported. Prosecutors charged him with involuntary manslaughter, unlawfully causing a fire with great bodily injury, and possessing more than 100 pounds of dangerous fireworks, alleging an illegal $400 firework malfunctioned and sent aerial mortar shells into the driveway where guests were watching the display.
No such allegations have been made in the Lancaster case, and investigators have not said what type of fireworks were involved or who was responsible for them. As of Wednesday, authorities had not released further information about the girl's condition or the outcome of their investigation.
