The man lit the mortar-style firework on his back deck just before 2:30 p.m. at the Courtside Apartments, in the 500 block of Courtside Street, said Olympia fire Lt. Steve Bradley.
The explosion was strong enough to shatter the double-pane plate glass of the man’s back door, Bradley said. Citing federal medical privacy laws, Bradley declined to specifically describe the man’s injury except to say that it was not life-threatening.
Bradley said firefighters could not tell exactly what kind of firework the man lit because there was very little of it left after it exploded.
Bradley advised people to:
Not set off fireworks on a back porch.
Never pick up an explosive firework that has been lit even if it appears to be a dud.
Stick to the “safe and sane” variety of fireworks that do not explode or fly.
Fireworks were legal to use in Olympia until 11 p.m. Sunday night.
