Explosions Kill 2 Workers, Injure 3 at Fireworks Plant

Explosions and flames tore through a fireworks factory Thursday, killing two workers and injuring three others, authorities said.

The blasts, at Bartolotta’s Fireworks complex, “took out the southern half of the building,” Waukesha County Sheriff’s Inspector Gary Paluszcyk said.

Kris Luterbach, who lives nearby, said she heard the explosions and one of her friends tried to approach the complex.

“She could see some injured people and other people screaming to stay away. . . . I went back to my home and called 911,” Luterbach said.

The plant’s general manager, T. J. Bartolotta, said it was the first accident in the company’s history.

“We don’t know what caused it, or how it happened. This is the first time anything like this has happened in all the years we’ve been in business,” he said.