Explosion at Civil War Re-Enactment Sends 3 Children to Hospital

Three children were sent to the hospital after a cannon caused an explosion at a Civil War re-enactment event in Orem, Utah. Two of the three children were engulfed in flames when the blast occurred at the beginning of a parade, KUTV reports.

“When the flames went up in the air, these three children started crying. One little girl’s clothes were on fire, we’re told,” witness Brittany Tait told the local station. “People were running with water to douse her.”

When the cannon was fired, a spark landed on additional ammunition and triggered the explosion, according to a statement from Orem’s Department of Public Safety. Authorities did not elaborate on the children’s injuries but said their conditions were stable as they were taken to a hospital nearby.

[KUTV]