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CORDELE, Ga. (WALB) — A fireworks malfunction during a Fourth of July display at Georgia Veterans State Park sent spectators running and left two young girls hospitalized with second-degree burns, according to a father who was in the crowd.

Daniel Perry said his 13-year-old daughter was sitting on the ground about 20 feet in front of him when the malfunction occurred during the grand finale.

“When the grand finale started going off, we noticed some un-normal sparks coming out of the tubes down there,” Perry said. “And we started seeing rounds start bouncing towards us.”

Injuries described as more severe than initially reported

Perry said a mortar round struck his daughter on the foot, causing second-degree burns and bruising. He said the same round then bounced and exploded near another young girl.

“She’s got one burn that’s probably about a foot long on the backside of her knee down her calf,” Perry said.

Perry disputed an earlier characterization of the burns as “penny-sized,” saying the description did not reflect what his family experienced.

>> ‘FREAK ACCIDENT’: Multiple people injured during fireworks show in Crisp County <<

“I don’t see how he could make it sound like there wasn’t no big issues there,” Perry said. “It was terrifying.”

Perry’s daughter was taken to the hospital by the family. Perry said they did not get home until around 7 a.m. the following morning.

A pregnant woman was also transported by EMS following the incident, according to fire officials.

‘It was like a war zone’

Perry, a single father of three, said the chaos of the malfunction was disorienting.

“It felt like being in a school shooting or something. It was smoke everywhere. Explosions going off,” Perry said. “I’m panicking trying to find all my kids through the smoke. And it was like a war zone.”

Perry said a mortar round also struck a nearby vehicle, leaving a dent he compared to the size of a basketball.

Fire chief responds; investigation ongoing

Crisp County Fire Chief Russell Ayotte, who has been with the department for 27 years, said a failure in one of the fireworks tubes caused surrounding tubes to dislodge, sending fireworks horizontally rather than vertically. Ayotte said he was responding to a separate emergency call at the time of the malfunction.

“When I was in route to the call, I did not know exactly what happened. I was just going off of the radio traffic,” Ayotte said. “I was hoping that our citizens and visitors were not injured.”

Ayotte said he did not personally observe the injuries and acknowledged he was working from secondhand information when he described the burns.

Ayotte said the safety zone established for the event exceeded what is required under federal codes, but he said officials would review whether additional precautions are warranted.

“That is something for us to look at to see if we can increase that beyond what’s required,” Ayotte said. “That way we can ensure safety of our spectators.”

A fire investigator is working to determine what caused the tube to fail. Ayotte said a report has been started but is not yet complete.

The display was conducted by a state-licensed fireworks company that submitted a proper application and held all required licensing, Ayotte said. He described the incident as a “freak accident.”

Ayotte said an on-duty firefighter and a fire truck were on scene at the time of the malfunction, and an off-duty firefighter who had come to watch the show also responded.

“They both quickly sprung into action,” Ayotte said. “I’m extremely proud of their actions.”

Perry said a game warden identified only as “Tanner” helped his family during the incident, giving him a ride to his vehicle so his injured daughter would not have to walk across the park.

Perry said he wants to see additional safety measures put in place at future shows.

“They need to take more precautions for it,” Perry said. “I don’t want anybody to think it wasn’t nothing. It’s dangerous.”

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