Fireworks chaos at German New Year celebrations leaves five dead and first responders targeted

A series of fireworks incidents during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Germany left five people dead and dozens of emergency workers injured.

Despite calls for a nationwide ban on private use of fireworks, fireworks remain an important part of the country’s New Year celebrations, with thousands of them set off on city streets every year.

Two people were among the dead in the eastern state of Saxony, including a 45-year-old man who died after handling an alleged “pyrotechnic bomb,” local public broadcaster MDR reported.

Authorities said firefighters and other emergency services workers were targeted by fireworks during the celebrations from Tuesday to Wednesday.

In the capital Berlin, firefighters responded to 1,892 incidents on New Year’s Eve, 294 more than last year, according to a statement from the city’s fire department. More than 1,500 emergency services personnel are on duty.

The statement said there had been at least 13 attacks on first responders.

According to Berlin police spokesman Florian Nass, 330 people were detained in the capital on New Year’s Eve. Ness said a police officer was seriously injured “possibly hit by illegal fireworks” and was undergoing surgery in the hospital.

“There were several people around the scene who attacked police officers and that was one of the lowest points of the night,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Munich fire department said an irregular firework started a fire on a first-floor balcony of an apartment building. The fire then spread to a second-floor apartment, the department statement said.

The statement also said the damage caused by fireworks in Munich this year was “particularly serious”. Three children aged two, 11 and 14 were seriously injured in the incident in the city.

A two-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy suffered burns to their hands, necks and faces, while a 14-year-old boy had part of his hand blown off with a New Year’s Eve firecracker. All had to be taken to hospital for further treatment, the department said.

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She continued, “However, the numerous arrests and renewed attacks on police in Berlin alone also show that this crackdown is absolutely necessary.”

The first responders union issued a statement on Wednesday condemning violence against emergency services.

“It is unacceptable that people who work for the common good are repeatedly targeted. Under no circumstances should violence against public service workers be considered an occupational hazard.

The German pyrotechnics association BVPK said illegal and homemade fireworks were of particular concern. “These extremely dangerous crafts have nothing to do with the legal and tested New Year’s Eve fireworks produced by specialty retailers or discount stores,” said board member Ingo Schubert.

“Anyone who associates the dangerous tinkering and illegal handling of dangerous explosives with the safety of small fireworks is confusing apples and oranges.”

The German environmental group Deutsche Zeitung again called for a nationwide ban on private sales of fireworks on New Year’s Eve in a statement on Wednesday, warning that the New Year’s Eve would once again become “a night of terror for countless people.”

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