SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amid a blistering heat wave, Fourth of July was celebrated across the Sacramento region leading to at least 20 firework-related injuries, including amputations.
UC Davis Health saw 14 patients for firework-related injuries from Thursday to Sunday, according to hospital spokeswoman Rebecca Badeaux. Eight were admitted, and six were treated in emergency then discharged.
All 14 were male, and 12 of them were adults, Badeaux said. The other two were children ages 9 and 10.
Outstanding injuries included:
- Two blast injuries to the hand requiring amputations.
- Burns.
- Lacerations.
Two patients were admitted to Shriners Children's Northern California for firework-related injuries and four were seen during clinic, according to hospital spokeswoman Kelsey Morgado.
"It’s important for parents to remove any leftover fireworks from the home and keep them out of reach of children," Morgado said. "We continue to see injuries for days after Fourth of July due to children finding leftover fireworks in the home or the garage and playing with them when left unsupervised."
Heat-related injuries
Heat-related injuries are also prevalent with scorching temperatures in Northern California.
Four patients so far in 2024 have been treated at UC Davis Health for burns from contact with hot pavement, Badeaux said.
"Common occurrences are walking barefoot on hot pavement with neuropathy, as well as prolonged down-time on hot pavement due to accidental fall or overdose,” she said.
Neuropathy can cause numbness.
From May to October 2023, UC Davis Health treated 19 patients with burns from hot pavement, Badeaux said. Eight were admitted to the hospital, and one was treated in emergency then discharged.
At Shriners, Morgado said pavement burns are common.
"As a result of the heat wave, we often see young patients who will run outside on black asphalt without shoes, burning the bottom of their feet," she said.
Pavement burn-related injury reports come amid the major heat wave that prompted excessive heat warnings from Tuesday, July 2, through Sunday.
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