City officials said a lightning strike caused the fireworks to go off earlier than anticipated, so they canceled Friday night’s Fourth of July fireworks show in Sanford.
In a news release, the city said, “We are relieved to report that no injuries have occurred as a result of this incident.” There will not be a fireworks show.
In a video that was uploaded on the city’s Facebook page, Bianca Gillett of the Sanford Police Department described what happened after a storm cell passed through the city on Friday afternoon.
The fireworks in Sanford, Florida were just triggered by a lightning strike.tweet.com/d1cqozlI1y
July 4, 2025 Jimmy McCambridge (@JimmyMack0320)
A lightning strike happened near the marina area, where all of the event’s pyrotechnics were kept in preparation for the event, when that storm cell was passing over the event site, she said. Following that, lightning struck, setting off a series of events that resulted in the ignition of pyrotechnics, their complete detonation, and the destruction of a significant portion of the equipment and control panel utilized for the night’s entertainment.
However, the remaining Star Spangled Sanford-related festivities will go on until 9 p.m. This covers Fort Mellon Park’s live music, food booths, and other events.
The city declared that protecting the safety of its citizens and guests is still its top concern. Please refrain from bringing any fireworks of your own to the event. Both the general population and emergency workers are at significant danger for injury from unapproved fireworks.
