# Apparent fireworks bomb kills Brookings man



## MOB (Mar 10, 2005)

BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) -- Brookings police say a 23-year-old Brookings man was killed when what appears to be a bomb made out of sparklers wrapped together went off accidentally.

The victim was Ryan Voeller.

It happened Sunday evening at a house near 7th Avenue and 2nd Street in Brookings.

One neighbor says it sounded like a sonic boom when it went off.

Police say Voeller was handling the device on his porch and he later died at the Brookings hospital from the injuries.

"He was going to take it out into the county and let it go out there, but it just went off prematurely," said Joey Collins of the Brookings Police Department.

He said a roommate who was home at the time was not injured, and another roommate was not home.

Police say no surrounding buildings were damaged and there was only one explosion.

These sparkler bombs are dangerous. They said it's diameter was that of a softball - that's a big one. I heard that either the fuse broke off or he forgot to leave one sparkler out for a fuse. He was holding it in one hand and trying to pry a screwdriver into it to make room for a fuse when the friction from the prying screwdriver ignited it. Horrible accident.


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## HUNTNFISHND (Mar 16, 2004)

Darwin award candidate!


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## rolly (Jul 30, 2007)

Was it an accident or a well planned death?

You play with fire, you will get burned........


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I hate to be mean, and I feel bad for his family and friends, I really do, but it seems every year some one does something stupid and either gets killed or hurt bad. People leave the fireworks how they are and shoot them off like that. Or better yet don't shoot them at all.


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## rolly (Jul 30, 2007)

I agree. Safety should come first and I fully admit being stupid with them too. I learned not to do things like this, without getting killed and hope somebody listens.


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## rowdie (Jan 19, 2005)

I don't think they make them with Metal sticks anymore, but obviously there are some left. They do make good little explosion, but are dangerous.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I still have those m-80's or m-60's what ever they are.


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

Okay so what exactly is a sparkler bomb? Just sparklers or do you need to add something?


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## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

I've never seen one, but from what I gather it is a bunch of sparklers wrapped tightly together with one in the middle sticking out further to act as a fuse. When the main batch lights it gives off a pretty big explosion apparently.


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## joespiek (Nov 25, 2003)

870 XPRS said:


> I've never seen one, but from what I gather it is a bunch of sparklers wrapped tightly together with one in the middle sticking out further to act as a fuse. When the main batch lights it gives off a pretty big explosion apparently.


That's pretty much the extent of it. Just take a handfull of sparklers and tape them together, leaving one in the middle stick out from the rest. When the middle one burns down to the main bundle it goes boom. Really loud and lots of metal "sticks" flying everywhere. Haven't made one since high shcool but remember them well.

The stupid things you'll do when you get bored, luckily we never got hurt. Too bad for this guy though.


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## rowdie (Jan 19, 2005)

I first seen one when my stepson made one 5 years ago. I told by buddy who owns a fireworks stand. He said he now knows why 40 year old men are buying all the metal sparklers he has left.

We blew up some old coolers, and wow, they sure have a big boom.


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