According to the Provincial Fire Consortium, an explosion at the Pirotecnia Ferrández company’s facilities in Redovan today, Thursday August 28th, at approximately 9:30 a.m. claimed one life. The inquiry into what caused the workplace accident has been taken up by the Guardia Civil.
According to Mayor Nely Ruiz, the deceased is Manuel Ferrández, 58, a partner, employee, and member of the fireworks family.
This well-known fireworks manufacturer, which is well-established in the province and region and has facilities in the town of Redován, had a huge explosion at approximately 9:31 a.m.
The deceased was handling the material in a pyrotechnic processing shed when the explosion happened.
Firefighters are still working around the shed, where a high temperature has accumulated, but Mayor Nely Ruiz and the Provincial Fire Consortium say the fire has already been stabilised.
Other than the deceased, no one else was hurt, according to the Consortium’s same sources. According to the Guardia Civil, one person was hurt in addition to the deceased.
After establishing that no other people were hurt, the Consortium decided not to use the Alfa 9 medical helicopter that they had first mobilised. According to the CPBA duty officer, firefighters from the Orihuela and Almoradí fire stations were also mobilised, sending out eight fire engines from six crews. There were three ambulances sent to the location.
The causes of the explosion are also being looked into by a squad of the Guardia Civil’s scientific police.
At the fireworks site, which is situated on the slopes of the Sierra de Callosa along the Camino de la Sierra road that links the town centre with the San Carlos neighbourhood and the N-340, are firefighters as well as members of the Civil Guard and the Redován local police.
A day of official mourning has been announced by the City Council.
Dawn and Bonfires at Night
Residents of Redován and nearby towns like Callosa were alerted to the explosion at this fireworks display, whose work enjoys great prestige both in the Valencian Community and nationally and internationally, by the immediate column of smoke and the loud explosion that could be heard several kilometres away. The Palm Tree of the Virgin on the Nit de l’Albà in Elche has been crowned by it since 1989.
Additionally, they have a great deal of experience with the Hogueras de San Juan de Alicante festival, where the Ferrández family won both the fireworks and the mascletà in 2022 and 2023, respectively. With almost 130 years of history, Pirotecnia Ferrández is a fourth-generation family-run firm.
Mishap
In March of last year, pyrotechnician Pedro Luis Sirvent was killed in an explosion during his Alicante fireworks show, only a few months after the event.
Author: Derek Appleton
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