HONOLULU (AP) — A fifth person has died from injuries suffered during a massive explosion of illegal fireworks at a Honolulu home over New Year’s, police said Tuesday.
The 29-year-old man was one of six people flown to a hospital in Arizona for treatment earlier this month because Hawaii’s only burn care facility hit capacity with other patients from the same blast.
The explosion also killed a 3-year-old boy and three women and injured more than 20 people.
The man died at 6:42 a.m. Hawaii time, Honolulu police said.
The blast prompted fresh calls for a crackdown on illegal fireworks that have become increasingly more common in Hawaii in recent years.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green proposed new penalties designed to make it easier for police to enforce laws, including $300 tickets they could issue to those who shoot off fireworks. He’s also proposed potential class A felony charges and decades in prison for those whose use of fireworks leads to serious injury or death.
The state Department of Law Enforcement has asked the Legislature for $5.2 million to hire eight people and expand a forensic lab to counter rampant smuggling of illegal fireworks.
Lawmakers were expected to consider these measures during the current legislative session ending in May.
The U.S. military, at Green’s request, flew six patients to Phoenix on Jan. 4. All were in their 20s or 30s with burns covering 45% to 80% of their bodies.
Flying particles and debris from the explosion left some of the patients with wounds resembling battlefield injuries.
