A man is seriously ill in hospital after yobs put a firework through the letterbox of his home near Wolverhampton.
The attack in Albrighton was one of a string of fireworks-related horrors which marred celebrations across the region over the weekend.
In Wolverhampton, a woman suffered serious burns after a stray firework hit her in the chest and in Stourbridge, a reveller tripped and fell into a bonfire during a party in Sherwood Road.
The Albrighton man was taken to The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford suffering from smoke inhalation after a neighbour, who spotted flames in the doorway of the 53-year-old’s home in Abney Avenue, raised the alarm at 7.55pm on Saturday night.
He was rescued from an upstairs room by the emergency services. Meanwhile the victim from Wolverhampton was injured after a firework launched correctly in Ribbesford Avenue, Oxley, came straight back down at around 8.20pm.Quick-thinking friends put the 52-year-old under a cold shower.
West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Murray MacGregor said today: “It is fortunate the rocket did not explode otherwise the situation could have been much more serious.” The woman was taken to New Cross Hospital.
Shocked party-goers in Stourbridge watched as a man tumbled into a bonfire in Sherwood Road at around 12.20am yesterday. The 43-year-old suffered burns to his hands and knees and was taken to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.
And an impromptu game of football at a party in Birmingham saw a 17-year-old miss the ball and fall backwards, catching his hand in a bonfire in Albert Road, Stechford, at around 8.30pm on Saturday.
A firework caused damage to the back of a Ford Mondeo in Anson Road, Hill Top, West Bromwich. The stray rocket is believed to have shot across the road and exploded in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A huge council-run bonfire extravaganza at Himley Park on Saturday, which drew 20,000 visitors, passed without incident.
* Picture by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service
3 Comments
One of these days we’ll do the sensible thing and ban the retail sale of fireworks. The only people who should be allowed to purchase fireworks should be bona fide groups in possession of a licence from the local authority, the fire brigade having certified that the leaders are appropriately trained in firework safety and use.
my sister lives in the flats i think person who done this to the man should have life in prisonment
i live in the flats.the night was a shock.however can i just say it was a down stairs room he was rescued from.not an upstairs