The Tasmanian government is investigating after a fireworks display at a community event in Hobart’s northern suburbs went horribly wrong.
The incident on Saturday night saw fireworks shoot into the crowd and hit spectators.
A Tasmanian government spokesperson said WorkSafe was “aware of the incident and was investigating”.
WorkSafe Tasmania said permit holders who break the conditions of their permit can be hit with fines of up to $2,050, or up to $10,250 in serious cases following prosecution.
“Type 2 Fireworks Permit holders are subject to a range of permit conditions that apply when using fireworks,” a WorkSafe Tasmania spokesperson told Pulse.
The incident occured at a public Cracker Night event in Claremont, organised by a local property owner to raise funds for the Claremont Junior Football Club.
The organiser, Craig Walker, had been taking gold coin donations for entry to the event on his Russell Road property.
Video taken by spectators shows fireworks flying across the ground and exploding between groups of people.
One witness, who asked not to be named, said fireworks began firing horizontally into the crowd shortly after the 7pm display started, hitting multiple people.
“We thought we were under attack and we had to run to our car,” she told Pulse.
“The kids were just screaming and parents were trying to watch but protect their children at the same time.”
The witness said she was hit in the chest hard enough to be knocked backwards, while her son was struck on his ear.
Her friend’s daughter was hit twice as they tried to flee.
“There was no safety … there was no barriers for people to keep back, there was nothing,” she said.
Many people quickly fled the event after the incident.
The event organiser did not respond to calls from Pulse.
Permit holders are required to set off fireworks on properties of at least 1,000 square metres, with displays limited to set time windows between 7:00pm and 8:30pm.
The event was one of 610 permitted fireworks displays held across Tasmania this year for the state’s annual Cracker Night celebrations, with 12 tonnes of fireworks sold statewide.
