Last Friday, after assisting with the fireworks setup for Sanford’s annual Star Spangled Fourth of July celebration, Wendy Pelland and her husband opted to have dinner a few hours prior to the display.
They watched as dark storm clouds rolled over the horizon from a café in downtown, roughly two blocks from the fireworks launch point near Sanford Marina. They heard a loud clap of thunder and saw a flash of lightning.
They then gazed in astonished awe as the fireworks burst into the stormy sky, nearly all at once. The event, which was meant to last 19 minutes and be set to patriotic music, ended in a matter of minutes.
On Monday, Pelland stated, “We couldn’t believe it.” For over ten years, the couple has assisted with the fireworks show’s setup.
Just before 4:30 p.m., according to city officials, lightning struck a palm tree close to the Sanford Marina. It is probable that the electrical current spread across the wet pavement and along the concrete barrier, setting off the fireworks.
Pelland claimed that the lightning strike was a result of divine intervention. We would have been struck by lightning if we had been there.
In anticipation of the Independence Day celebration, hundreds of people, including families with small children, had already set up chairs at Fort Mellon Park and along Sanford’s Riverwalk. The fireworks were due to begin at 9:15 p.m.
Mayor Art Woodruff declared on Monday that it was truly unfortunate. How likely is it that a tree will be struck by lightning and the electrical current will ignite the fireworks?
He also mentioned that city officials were debating whether to hold a bigger celebration the next year, when the country marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, or to plan another fireworks display later this year.
According to a local press release shared on social media on Friday, the fireworks explosion did not damage anyone.
However, according to a local social media post by Sanford Police Department spokesperson Bianca Gillett, the bomb destroyed a large amount of equipment and the control panel utilized for the night’s events.
The structures on Marina Isle that housed the pyrotechnics were undamaged.
Sanford paid $40,000 to Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania-based Zambelli Fireworks to provide the fireworks. The other July 4 celebrations were planned by city employees.
In an email to the Sentinel, Lisa Jones, the recreation director for Sanford, stated, “We expect to be reimbursed through our insurance policy.”
The Star Spangled Sanford celebration was not entirely a failure, either. The remaining planned events, like as food sellers, live music, and other activities, went on at Fort Mellon Park until nine o’clock after the storm.
One of Central Florida’s oldest Independence Day festivities, the fireworks show in Sanford has been going on for decades.
Residents said on social media that they realized the lightning strike was an act of nature and could not have been averted, even if there were no fireworks at the event.
Jenny Gaul, a local, said on the city’s Facebook page on Sunday that it’s simply fireworks. Nobody was harmed.
