Firework-related injuries and deaths spiked by 50 percent last year amid lockdowns and stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report reveals.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that fatalities caused by fireworks increased from 12 in 2019 to 18 in 2020.
Additionally, injuries due to the pyrotechnics also jumped by around the same rate, from 10,000 in 2019 to 15,600 last year.
The CPSC says rise can blamed on the pandemic canceling many professional fireworks shows, leading to people instead celebrating events like the Fourth of July with at-home shows.
These do-it-yourself events, which are often run by amateurs who may or may not be intoxicated, caused hand and eye injuries, and sometimes even death.
Many Americans chose to hold Fourth of July celebrations at home last year as professional shows were cancelled due to the pandemic. This led to a 50 percent surge in firework injuries and deaths in 2020
'These tragic deaths and injuries are reminders of just how dangerous fireworks can be,' said CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler in a statement.
'Consumers should enjoy professional fireworks displays from a distance, and be extra vigilant when using consumer-type fireworks.'
For the report, the CPSC collected data from news clippings and other sources in the agency's Consumer Product Safety Risk Management System for the 2020 fiscal year.
Of the 18 people that died last year, nearly half of them - eight - had used drugs or alcohol prior to the incident.
