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Police: Man burned, sparks fire after using fireworks illegally in Taunton

TAUNTON, Mass. — A man setting off several illegal fireworks was injured and sparked a structure fire on Tuesday night, police said.

Police and fire responded to a house on Middleboro Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. after receiving a report of a structure fire.

First responders found a 24-year-old man in the process of extinguishing a fire on the home’s deck.

He suffered burns to his hands and declined medical assistance at the scene, officials said.

A preliminary investigation found that the man was building wooden racks to hold plastic mortar tubes that he’d then fill with fireworks. During that process, it is believed that a spark from a power tool he was using ignited one of the fireworks that was in the rack, which then ignited several other fireworks.

The fireworks then began to go off on the deck, which lit the siding of the house on fire. The fire did not spread to inside the home.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to the scene, along with the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad, which removed and properly disposed of the fireworks.

Engines 1, 3 and 9, along with Ladder 3 and Car 2 arrived on scene to find the exterior of the home had caught fire and was smoldering.

“Thankfully this resident was not seriously injured and the fire did not extend into the home,” Taunton Fire Chief Timothy Bradshaw said. “This situation is exactly why residents are required by law to leave fireworks displays to the professionals."

The Taunton Police Detective Division and the State Fire Marshall’s Office are actively investigating this incident.

Taunton police and fire would like to remind residents that the use of fireworks is illegal in the state of Massachusetts, and that to prevent injury and structure fires, residents should only attend celebrations put on by a licensed professional.

Anyone who has questions about fireworks or fireworks safety should contact the Taunton Fire Department at 508-824-4024 or the Taunton Police Department at 508-824-7522.