Six arrested over deadly Honolulu NYE fireworks blast

Police have arrested six people in connection with a deadly explosion of illegal fireworks in a Honolulu neighbourhood on New Year’s Eve and confiscated 230kg of unused fireworks from the scene of the blast.

Police arrested two couples on Wednesday and one couple last Friday, said Honolulu police homicide Lt. Deena Thoemmes said. More arrests are expected.

Police were working with prosecutors to file charges but it is taking time due to the number of people arrested, large volume of evidence being examined and fireworks being tested, she said.

“We are recovering more evidence and identifying more individuals. As a result, additional arrests will be forthcoming,” Thoemmes said at a news conference.

The explosion killed three women, one man and a three-year-old boy, and injured about 20 others. The tragedy occurred when a lit bundle of mortar-style aerials tipped over and shot into crates of unlit fireworks, causing a rapid-fire series of blasts.

All six suspects were arrested on allegations of first-degree reckless endangering, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and multiple fireworks offences. The first two suspects have been released pending investigation.

Manslaughter was the most serious potential charge in the case and was being investigated, Thoemmes said. Detectives will study how the fireworks were acquired and will ask the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for help with that part of the investigation, she said.

The igniting of illegal fireworks — many of them aerials normally used in professional fireworks shows — has become increasingly common in Hawaii in recent years. People set off fireworks year-round but especially during the year-end holidays.

Hawaii authorities have said existing laws are difficult to enforce, in part because the evidence is often incinerated when fireworks are lit. Residents are also often reluctant to testify against their neighbours, making cases difficult to prove in court.

Police said the first two suspects arrested, a man and a woman both 33, ignited illegal fireworks at the New Year’s Eve gathering and allowed their children — ages 15, 10 and one — to also light illegal fireworks. The one-year-old was injured, treated at a hospital and released, police said.