Malfunctioning fireworks at the July Fourth Stadium of Fire show at Brigham Young University injured several audience members, with six hospitalized.

After a flyover by multiple planes, fireworks were set off in unoccupied stands at LaVell Edwards Stadium on the school’s campus. Some of the fireworks flew into the crowd, and the show paused.

About 45,000 people were in attendance, and six went to the hospital with unspecified injuries, Emory Cook, a spokesman for the America’s Freedom Festival organization that holds the event, told The Associated Press.

A stray firework hit one victim in the face, and that person was rushed to a hospital, the Provo Police Department and Utah Department of Public Safety told Salt Lake City NBC affiliate KSL-TV. 

“We were on the north end and we didn’t see how many people left on the east end, but it was enough that you could see the gap where they pulled the people out and then they announced over the intercom for people to go to the medical tents if they needed attention,” Blake Grundvig, who has been going to the show for over 25 years, told Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KSTU.

Provo Fire & Rescue spokeswoman Jeanie Atherton told AP that only one person went to the hospital via ambulance, with other victims possibly driving themselves.

The cause of the malfunction is still unknown.

“Definitely a firework malfunctioned, but we’re still trying to figure out how that happened,” Mr. Cook said.

In a statement on Facebook, America’s Freedom Festival wrote, “Safety is of the utmost importance to us. All pyrotechnics at Stadium of Fire are thoroughly checked before the show and were rechecked after tonight’s incident. Our thoughts are with those who were impacted, and we are following up with them to make sure they are OK.”

The show was allowed to resume by campus police after the injured left for treatment.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.