NSW: Man dies in fireworks explosion

AAP General News (Australia)
08-03-2000
NSW: Man dies in fireworks explosion

By Sharon Labi and Janine O'Neill

SYDNEY, Aug 3 AAP - A man died in an explosion at a Sydney fireworks factory today
but the blast was confined to a small workshop.

Only minor damage was caused when fire engulfed the workshop at Foti's International
Fireworks at Leppington, killing instantly a 24-year-old man working on a fireworks display.

Work at the factory stopped after the early morning incident as police and WorkCover
began their investigations.

Rural Fire Service spokesman John Winter said the fire was contained to within the one workshop.

"Gun powder (used in fireworks) tends to burn rather than explode until it is packed,"

Mr Winter said.

"We don't know how much burnt and how much exploded."

Factory colleagues were already armed with fire extinguishers when the fire service
arrived at the scene just after 9am.

The Foti family who has worked with pyrotechnics for seven generations, today released
a brief statement expressing their condolences to the man's family.

"We are stricken by the tragedy and are extremely concerned for our employee's family
who have our deepest condolences at this time," Foti's marketing director Vince Foti said.

"We are now working with police to ascertain how this accident happened in the course
of routine work procedures.

"We do know that there was only a small number of firework shells involved."

A member of the Foti family, whose house is about 400m from the factory, said the Foti
family and staff were devastated.

"As you can appreciate, everyone's absolutely devastated," she said.

"Everyone's having grief counselling and it's not a good moment."

The cause of the fire was not yet known and no other injuries were reported.

The man was alone in the workshop at the time of the incident.

His name has not yet been released.

Mr Winter said it appeared the company had taken appropriate precautions.

"It certainly appeared they'd taken proper precautions in how the facility was set up," he said.

The factory is located in a remote area south west of Sydney. Apart from the house
on the property, the nearest home is more than a kilometre away.

According to Foti's website, the Italian-born family has worked in pyrotechnics since 1793.

Some Fotis immigrated to Australia in the early 1950s and built up the business. It
now exports to Europe, Asia, North America, the Middle East and New Zealand from its 15
hectare Leppington property.

AAP sal/ah/bdm/bwl

KEYWORD: FIREWORKS NIGHTLEAD

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