A 12-year-old boy severely injured by an exploding firework Thursday evening in the Southeast Alaska community of Saxman is being treated in Seattle, according to Alaska State Troopers.
Troopers wrote in a Friday dispatch that they were first informed of the incident, which occurred at a rock pit in the community of about 410 people just south of Ketchikan, at about 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
"The juvenile lit a mortar-type firework that is meant to be placed in a tube with an extended fuse prior to lighting; he was not using the tube but holding the firework in his hand prior to throwing it," troopers wrote. "The mortar-type firework was lit and thrown, hit a rock wall and bounced back toward him. He caught the firework in his right hand but before he could throw it again, it exploded."
The boy's mother was among the initial responders to the scene, troopers said.
According to troopers, the boy was initially treated for "extensive injuries to his right hand" at the PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center, then flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.