Marblehead fireworks canceled after barge goes up in flames - Boston News, Weather, Sports
MARBLEHEAD, MASS. (WHDH) - A fireworks barge went up in flames in Marblehead Harbor overnight, causing officials to cancel their Fourth of July fireworks show.
Crews from Marblehead, Beverly, and the U.S. Coast Guard responded to the scene Thursday morning.
In a post on X near 4 a.m., organizers with the Marblehead Fireworks Committee said the state fire marshal's office was investigating and would not allow any firework display in Marblehead until officials figure out how the barge caught fire.
In a new post near 11 a.m., the committee confirmed both the fireworks display and a corresponding harbor illumination will not take place this year.
The committee said no one was on the barge when it caught fire and there were no injuries reported.
The cause of the fire remained unknown.
Officials asked anyone who received flares for the harbor illumination event to return them to the Marblehead Fire Department "at your earliest convenience" and said all other Fourth of July events in Marblehead will proceed as scheduled this year, despite the barge fire.
"Notwithstanding this sad situation, we still wish you all a Happy Fourth of July!" the fireworks committee said.
The firework show is usually a big event for the town — one that locals and neighboring towns attend.
"We came here all the way to the fireworks but now they're canceled," said Aubrey Schindler, who traveled from Natick for the fireworks.
She said she was sad, as she was looking forward to the display.
"We're not thrilled about it but we come here a lot. We love it. We're from Natick, Massachusetts, so we make the trek, you know, it's beautiful," said Laura Schindler.
Terry MacArthur has been coming to Marblehead's fireworks show since she was a little kid. She changed her plans for the Fourth this year so she could be in town to see them shine over the harbor.
"I'm a little bit disappointed because I was going to go into Boston, and I said, 'Nah, I might as well stay here," MacArthur said. "I came down here to see the fireworks and there's no fireworks."
