Celaya fireworks disaster

{{Short description|1999 incident in Celaya, Mexico}}

{{Old news|date=March 2024}}{{Infobox event

| title=Celaya fireworks disaster

| image=

| caption=

| date=September 26, 1999

| time=10:30 CST

| venue=

| place=Celaya, Mexico

| duration=

| coordinates=

| type= Fireworks accident

| cause=

| deaths=63

| injuries=348| reported missing=

| url=

}}

The Celaya fireworks disaster took place on September 26, 1999, a stockpile of illegally stored fireworks and gunpowder exploded in the Mexican city of Celaya, killing 63 people and wounding 348 others.

The fireworks accident was caused by the detonation of four tons of fireworks and gunpowder{{cite web|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/101399/usn_LA0805.001.shtml#.WFyDtIWcEhc|title=More arrests made in Mexico's deadly fireworks blast|publisher=Amarillo Globe-News|author=The Associated Press|date=October 13, 1999|accessdate=December 23, 2016}} at about 10:30 local time,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-sep-27-mn-14573-story.html|title=56 Killed in Mexico Blasts Tied to Fireworks|work=The Los Angeles Times|date=September 27, 1999|access-date=December 23, 2016}} which triggered several more explosions of either fireworks or nearby gas cylinders.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/sep/28/duncancampbell|title=Scores die in firework explosions |work=The Guardian|date=September 27, 2016|accessdate=December 23, 2016}} 52 people were initially killed in the explosions, with eleven more later dying in hospitals. 348 people were injured and hospitalized.

Following the explosions, Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo announced that the government would conduct an investigation into the disaster. Authorities later arrested five business inspectors accused of illegally issuing permits, an agent of the attorney general's office accused of abuse of authority by failing to report the illegal trade, and seven business owners accused of illegally possessing and selling fireworks. Charges of being accessories to homicide were also brought against the inspectors and one of the business owners