Fireworks Meant For A July 4 Event In Ocean City, Maryland Accidentally Exploded, All At Once, During The Day

July 4 is Christmas for those who love fireworks. (For others, it’s about watching one-term presidents basically admit to committing crimes.) But for people on the beaches of Ocean City, Maryland, the big event came a bit early. Early in the day, fireworks that were supposed to be used later in the day accidentally exploded, surprising beach dwellers but treating them to something few had ever seen before.

According to WTOP News, the company handling the town’s fireworks display were unloading their wares when one of them was “unintentionally discharged.” Not all of the fireworks went off, but enough of them did that it created rounds of explosions that were caught on video by unsuspecting citizens on the beach.

The explosion was such that, as per CNN, first responders initially assumed a car was one fire. There weren’t any injuries involving beachgoers or pedestrians on the town’s boardwalk, but employees of the company responsible for the fireworks did receive minor injuries. However, they refused transport to the hospital.

Ocean City’s fireworks event was supposed to begin around 8pm, with musical acts, ending with the big display at 9:30. But after the freak explosion, they were cancelled out of an abundance of caution. But it’s safe to say that the premature show some got in the morning was more memorable anyway.

You can watch more footage of the explosion in the video above.

(Via WTOP News and CNN)