Local News in Brief : Fireworks Explosion Injures 2 in Saugus
Two plumbers at a building site in Saugus were toying with a large fireworks rocket Monday when its contents exploded, burning them and setting fire to a garage, sheriff’s deputies reported.
Lawrence Jones, 28, of Castaic, was in good condition at the Sherman Oaks Community Hospital Burn Center with second- and third-degree burns over 15% of his body. Several explosive devices discovered in his car were confiscated, deputies said.
Ron Settlemire, 26, of Van Nuys, was burned less seriously. He was treated at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, then was arrested on suspicion of detonation of a destructive device, the Sheriff’s Department reported.
A sheriff’s spokesman said that Jones showed up for work at Mountain View, a housing tract where he and Settlemire work as plumbers, with a “large commercial mortar rocket of the type used for displays in amusement parks.”
The two men tried to take the rocket apart, sheriff’s Sgt. Art Reddy said.
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