Boy, 14, injured in firework explosion
9:33am Tuesday 19th October 2010 in News
A FIREWORK explosion which left a teenager in hospital was so powerful that it set off burglar alarms in the street.
Joshua Gillot, aged 14, suffered severe injuries when the firework went off in his hand outside his home in Lower New Row, Ellenbrook, near Worsley, at about 12.30pm on Sunday.
Neighbours said the explosion was so loud it sounded like “a grenade had been set off ”.
Contractors who were working nearby ran to see what was happening because they thought they had caused a problem with the electricity supply.
One man, who asked not to be named, said: “I was sitting at the back door and I just heard an almighty crash.
“Alarms started going off and there was a lot of white smoke coming up. It was unbelievable.
“Then there was a deathly quiet. It was frightening.
God knows what it was.
“At first I thought it was a hand grenade. I’ve never heard anything like it.”
The Bolton News understands that Joshua, a pupil at Fred Longworth school in Tyldesley, was with a friend in his back garden when the incident happened.
Another neighbour said: “It was extremely loud, a really loud bang. I thought something had fallen off a car.”
Joshua was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital but later transferred to Wythenshawe Hospital, where he is said to be stable and doing well.
A fire service spokesman said: “We remind everyone to take extra care and remember the dangers around the bonfire period.”
