Civil Beat Categories

Fireworks

Fireworks Come To ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾± On Passenger Jets ‘Almost Daily’ David Croxford/Civil Beat/2023

Fireworks Come To ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾± On Passenger Jets ‘Almost Daily’

Shipments of illegal fireworks sent via the U.S. Postal Service have been seized on commercial flights.

Woman Killed In Honolulu Fireworks Explosion Is Identified Screenshot/Hawaii News Now/2025

Woman Killed In Honolulu Fireworks Explosion Is Identified

Carmelita Benigno, 61, is the fourth victim to be identified.

Full-Time Criminal Investigative Unit Proposed To Tackle Illegal Fireworks David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

Full-Time Criminal Investigative Unit Proposed To Tackle Illegal Fireworks

A task force that began its work long before the recent tragedy in Salt Lake also recommends a unified fireworks permitting system in ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾± and $2 million for a new firearms and explosives lab.

Fireworks Burn Patients Stable In Arizona As Blast Death Toll Rises To 4 David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

Fireworks Burn Patients Stable In Arizona As Blast Death Toll Rises To 4

City officials said a 3-year-old boy injured in the New Year’s Eve explosion died at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children on Monday morning.

3-Year-Old Boy Is 4th Victim Of Honolulu Fireworks Explosion, Police Say Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

3-Year-Old Boy Is 4th Victim Of Honolulu Fireworks Explosion, Police Say

UPDATE: City officials identified the child as Cassius Ramos-Benigno.

Too Many To Handle: Fireworks Tragedy Overwhelms ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾±’s Medical System Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Too Many To Handle: Fireworks Tragedy Overwhelms ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾±’s Medical System

More people needed specialized care for burns from the Salt Lake blast than from the Maui wildfires.

Honolulu Fireworks Blast Victims Are Identified Courtesy: Nick Wendrych

Honolulu Fireworks Blast Victims Are Identified

UPDATES: The medical examiner’s office released the names for two of the three women killed and a 20-year-old who died in a separate fireworks incident.

‘This Could Happen To Anybody,’ Says Man Who Was At Fatal Fireworks Party Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

‘This Could Happen To Anybody,’ Says Man Who Was At Fatal Fireworks Party

One Salt Lake resident offered a different description of what caused the explosion that killed 3 people.

Will Tragedy Change How ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾± Polices Illegal Fireworks? David Croxford/Civil Beat/2025

Will Tragedy Change How ±á²¹·É²¹¾±Ê»¾± Polices Illegal Fireworks?

A task force created to find and stop shipments has seized more than 100 tons of explosives — but no criminal charges have followed.

New Year’s Eve Tragedy Is A Wake-Up Call Civil Beat file art

New Year’s Eve Tragedy Is A Wake-Up Call

Hawaii must finally crack down on illegal fireworks. This is not a tradition.