What began as a night of summer joy and celebration at Round Lake Park on Thursday, Aug. 22, took a frightening turn for some.
After the original July 4 fireworks were canceled due to rain, the City of Eden Prairie hosted a rescheduled event dubbed the ‘Best. Make-up Party. Ever!’ The evening, featuring a lakeside concert and food trucks, was briefly marred by a malfunction at the start of the fireworks display, unsettling those gathered on the far west side of the lake to watch the show. However, the show continued smoothly after the issue was resolved.
Fireworks malfunction
The fireworks display, set to begin at 9:15 p.m., quickly went awry. According to witnesses, some of the fireworks detonated near the ground and veered off course, with one reportedly shooting into a small crowd gathered near homes on the west side of Round Lake, away from the main gathering at the pavilion.
Bridget Zepeda, an Eden Prairie resident, was among those on the west side with her husband, her two young sons, ages 10 and 8, and friends. They were on the opposite side of the lake from the beach, on the west side, and came in through the neighborhood off Hames Way. Although she doesn’t live in that area, Zepeda has attended four previous Eden Prairie Fourth of July shows from this spot, always with wonderful experiences.
“Suddenly, we noticed that part of one of the sets of fireworks didn’t actually go into the air,” Zepeda said. “Through the trees, you could see an explosion that remained closer to the ground. My husband turned to me and said, ‘That wasn’t right.’ The next thing I knew, one of those large, almost like white sparkler ones fell just a foot from my children’s blanket. It was within a foot of my kids’ blanket, which is why they ran screaming faster than we did, because it was so close to them.”
Zepeda described the scene as chaotic. “We abandoned our entire setup – our chairs, blankets, everything – and started running,” she said. “A kind woman invited us into her house. There were about 15 to 20 kids inside, screaming and crying.”
City and company respond
In response to the incident, Amy Markle, Eden Prairie’s parks and recreation director, posted a statement on the city’s Facebook page on Friday afternoon.
“Last night during the city’s fireworks event at Round Lake Park, one of the launch tubes fired incorrectly, causing the mortar to launch at an angle pointed toward the crowd,” Markle said. “We are very fortunate no one was injured during this accident, and we understand the unexpected event caused significant concern and alarm.”
Will Wallus, CEO and president of Belle Plaine-based RES Pyro, the company responsible for Thursday’s fireworks display, responded Friday to inquiries via email while traveling. Wallus shared the same information he had provided earlier to Markle.
“A few minutes into the fireworks show, there were two devices that went off at ground level,” he said. “Following this, the techs monitored the show and realized there was a further concern. The show was stopped, the setup was inspected, and it was determined that with a simple adjustment, it was safe to continue the show. There were no additional incidents throughout the rest of the display. There were no injuries to the crew, and at no time was the crew notified by City of Eden Prairie fire or police personnel that there were any concerns with spectators of the fireworks display.”
Wallus, a resident of Eden Prairie who was watching the display from his home, said he was notified immediately of the issue and was present for the post-display inspection. “I determined all company safety protocols were followed,” he said.
Witnesses recall the incident
Sam Ryan, an Eden Prairie resident, was watching the fireworks from the west side of the lake with his wife when the incident occurred. He later posted videos of the event on X (formerly Twitter).
Ryan described the experience as traumatizing.
“There was an explosion right at the site where they were launching the fireworks,” he said. “It looked like maybe that knocked one of the cannons off or something, because they started shooting way too low. We were getting hit by some of the sparks, and that got really concerning.”
Ryan recalled a particularly frightening moment when one firework shot into a crowd of children nearby. “All these sparks were just encompassing the kids, and we thought they were on fire – it really looked like they were on fire. But I think they had a blanket, and one of the moms shielded the kids with it, then grabbed them and got out of there,” he said.
After a brief pause, the display resumed, but the fireworks remained dangerously low. “We were still getting some of the embers and stuff coming off of them. So, we just hightailed it out of there – we ran,” Ryan said.
Gretchen Haynes, a photographer covering the event for Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN), observed the chaos from the park on the east side of the lake.
“Some of the fireworks shot off towards a crowd of people gathered on the far side of the lake from the pavilion, near the footbridge from the high school,” Haynes said. “I could hear people yelling and screaming, but I was too far away to see what was actually happening. They stopped the show for a few minutes, then began again.”
After the show, Haynes checked the Eden Prairie Moms Facebook group and saw that parents were discussing how close some of the fireworks had landed, though it seemed no one was injured.
Despite the mishap, Haynes noted that the rest of the event “was a pretty typical fireworks show, but with fewer people and the weather was perfect.”
Resident reflects on city’s response
Zepeda, who was one of the people who posted about her experience on the Eden Prairie Moms Facebook page, felt the city’s response downplayed the severity of what happened.
“I am happy that they acknowledged it, and I’m happy that they are looking into and investigating it,” Zepeda said. “I think that the word choices were lightened. I don’t think that they truly understand, and have talked to enough people to realize that it wasn’t concern and alarm, that it was actually fear and trauma that happened to these kids and families that were there.”
Markle assured residents that the city is conducting a thorough review of safety protocols to prevent such incidents in the future. “We take this matter very seriously and will implement the necessary steps to restore your confidence,” she said.
As the city works to address the concerns raised by the malfunction, residents like Zepeda are left to process the fear and uncertainty that marred what should have been a joyful community gathering.
“I’m not someone who’s going to vilify anyone, but I just want to understand what happened – where the lines crossed and something went wrong in terms of safety for the citizens who were there,” Zepeda said. “What are Plans A, B, and C for the future to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again? Community gatherings are what make a community, and I would love to continue participating in celebrations. But I just don’t know if fireworks will be at the top of the list for my family and me in the future.”
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