8-year-old girl fatally struck by fireworks on July Fourth

An 8-year-old girl was fatally struck by illegal fireworks on July Fourth, according to the Buena Park Police Department.

Officers patrolling the 8000 block of Cornflower Circle on Friday night saw several people frantically carry the child into a residence after multiple fireworks had detonated in the area. The girl was taken to UCI Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead after suffering from a fireworks-related explosion, police said.

An initial investigation found that a homeowner had placed a fireworks display in the street. The fireworks began to misfire toward the residence where the girl was located, and where there were other illegal fireworks. These fireworks then ignited and struck the girl. Several other people were present, but no injuries were reported.

The homeowner was arrested; charges are pending under the Orange County district attorney’s office.

The girl’s identity is being withheld, and the case remains under investigation by Buena Park police, the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County sheriff’s bomb squad.

“A large number of fireworks that detonated were illegal, per the investigation and assistance from both the fire investigators and bomb squad,” Buena Park police said.

On Thursday, a fireworks explosion in Pacoima left one man dead, severely injured another woman and burned four homes. Another explosion that day killed a person in Simi Valley. In the San Francisco Bay Area town of Hayward, a fireworks-related house fire critically injured two people.

Despite reminders from law enforcement regarding the dangers and illegality of non-sanctioned fireworks displays, many residents throughout L.A. County continued to ignite fireworks Friday night and early Saturday morning. KTLA-TV Channel 5 aired video of multiple fireworks being set off Saturday on the 110 Freeway in a street takeover that brought traffic to a standstill.

Last year, the number of fireworks-related deaths and injuries rose from 2023, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Eleven people died from fireworks-related injuries in 2024, and an estimated 14,700 people were injured — an increase of about 38% in deaths and more than 50% in injuries.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.