iStockphoto / Liudmila Chernetska
A Spirit of ’76 fireworks warehouse in Booneville, Missouri was on fire over the weekend and sent a small mushroom cloud of smoke into the sky as drivers passed by on Interstate 70.
By 10 PM on Monday, Cooper County Fire Spokesperson William Johnson gave an update that the fire was contained to the northwest quadrant of the fireworks building and was ‘under control.’ But earlier in the day, drivers passing by on Interstate 70 saw smoke billowing out of the building and what appeared to be a not-insignificant explosion.
Kansas City Chiefs team photographer Andrew Mather happened to be passing by at the time of the fire and captured this video which he shared to X, formerly Twitter:
Spirit of ‘76 Warehouse explosion in Booneville, MO this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/c9WL5RV55L
— Andrew Mather (@Mather_Photo) May 27, 2024
The columns of smoke were hundreds of feet high as the Spirit of ’76 fireworks factory erupted in flames. According to a report from KOMU News, firefighters needed to apply foam to extinguish the flames because battling the fire with water was still allowing water to fuel the fire.
It remains to be seen how much damage was done. The 4th of July is less than a month and a half away, our nation’s biggest day of fireworks, and at this point it is unclear how the fire and loss of fireworks in the warehouse will impact supply/demand in that region.
According to reports, all 20 staff members who were working at the Spirit of ’76 Fireworks warehouse at the time made it out of the building safely.