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BRANCH COUNTY, Mich. — Four people were injured Sunday night when a spark flew into fireworks held on a pontoon boat on Michigan’s Gilead Lake, according to multiple reports.
People inside the boat were setting off fireworks as part of an annual display by Smitty's Pizza owner Eric Smith and others, WTVB reported. Smith was the most seriously burned of the four people injured Sunday, the radio station reported.
Gilead Lake Association President Rick Chard told WTVB two other men were taken to a hospital with burns to their legs and back. A fourth person was less seriously burned, Chard said.
The Bronson Fire Department told WWMT that six people were in the middle of Gilead Lake on an empty pontoon boat when a spark flew into a bucket holding fireworks, setting them all off at once.
The six people on board the boat jumped into the water to escape the explosion, WWMT reported.
In its summer newsletter, the Gilead Lake Association noted that the fireworks display headed by Smith is a highly popular event that grows each year in both size and cost. It's supported by donations.
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