July 5, 2012 (San Diego)– If like most of us in the coast you heard a loud rumbling that lasted for about thirty seconds, last night, you were not alone. Nor was it your imagination. The fire works had a glitch. The good news is, nobody got hurt.
According to August Santori, the person in charge of the show last night, they suspect they had a corrupted file in the firing cue sequence. Hence the four barges and the land site on Imperial Beach all fired their mortars in thirty seconds. He also explained that this was a weird event and that it was unexpected. They had another twenty nine shows around the nation, and they all went off perfectly. His company runs three hundred shows a year, and their goal is to achieve a 100% rate of success.
He emphasized that “there is constant security. Nobody who was not authorized got on the barges, and the Fire Department and Coast Guard did a wonderful job.” Moreover, the barges themselves were not damaged, and none of the bystanders were ever at risk. He was relieved that his coworkers were all fine as well.
Santori said that his company “did the show last year,” and they have offered to do it for free next year, as a way to make this up to the city.
Santori emphasized that “safety was the initial concern.” He also emphasized that after a cool down period, they checked all the mortars to make sure they did not have any live rounds. And that they will send the software to the company to analyze what happened.
He understands that people were disappointed, he was as well. “I was pacing the roof excited as a child. Can’t wait to light the skies for Independence Day.”