Fireworks factory explodes - level 3
A fireworks factory in Colombia has gone up in flames, causing huge explosions.
It’s thought the fireworks factory just outside Bogota exploded after gunpowder was set off inside, but despite the huge impact, sending a camera man from a local TV station off his feet, no one was seriously hurt. One man suffered minor injuries after flying debris hit him in the arm.
One witness described the moment as terrifying and an experience she never wanted again.
“It was terrible. It was chaotic. We felt the vibrations. I just took my daughters out of the house and ran. We were pushed by the vibrations. It was terrible – something I never want to go through again.”
It took a team of about thirty firefighters more than 6 hours to fully control the blaze, making sure no more gunpowder would be set off.
Several homes were damaged in the explosion and the blast shut down traffic in both directions on a highway.
Investigators are looking into what may have caused the huge explosion and have not ruled out foul play.
Difficult words: huge (very big), impact (the effect of something), minor (small), debris (small pieces of something which has been destroyed), chaotic (when a lot of things happen at one time and without reasons), vibration (a shaking motion), blaze (a fire), blast (an explosion), shut down (to stop), look into (to investigate), foul play (criminal activity).