Hillside Fire Chief Michael Kuryla was putting on a fireworks safety demonstration when the fireworks hit viewers

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Mishap at safety demonstration in Mount Prospect illustrates danger of fireworks - One person taken to hospital with burns
A fire chief's demonstration of the dangers of fireworks became a teachable moment Tuesday when a canister tipped over and shot fireworks into a crowd, injuring a fire safety advocate.

The incident occurred during a news conference at the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance headquarters in Mount Prospect. An ambulance took the group's assistant executive director, Laura Barros, to a hospital with a small burn on her foot.

At the tail end of the conference, Hillside Fire Department Chief Michael Kuryla tried to demonstrate the power of legally purchased novelty fireworks by lighting a sparkler and then igniting two fireworks canisters placed on a wooden pallet in the parking lot behind alliance headquarters.

In front of a crowd of news media, fire officials and alliance staff members, one of the canisters tipped over and shot fireworks into the crowd. The one that struck Barros on the top of her left foot left a small, black burn.

Crowd members immediately rushed to Barros' aid, pouring cold water on the burn and calling for an ambulance.

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