Woman dies, 3 others, including a child, injured in fireworks explosion on the Fourth of July

CHINO, CALIFORNIA: A woman, in her 20s, died, and 3 others were critically injured, including a child, in a fireworks explosion in Chino on the Fourth of July, authorities said.

The explosion took place at around 8:30 PM on Saturday, June 04, on the 5600 block of D Street in Chino, where officers were responding to reports of a vehicle fire.

Investigators believe a large stash of fireworks accidentally ignited, triggering a powerful explosion that set a nearby vehicle ablaze.

A 28-year-old man arrested on manslaughter charge

Upon their arrival, the deputies found several people suffering serious injuries. Three adults were transported to local hospitals, where one of the victims, described only as a woman in her 20s, later died from her injuries.

A fourth victim, described by police as a juvenile, was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and has since been released to a parent or guardian.

During the investigation, police arrested 28-year-old Hesperia resident Derion Tradon James Jr. He was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

Jail records show James is being held on $50,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning.

Video from AIR7 showed debris scattered across a front yard and nearby street in the aftermath of the explosion.

Witnesses recount horrifying explosion

Witnesses said panic erupted as people rushed to escape the area following the powerful blast. "Back up, back up, back up ... everybody get back!" one person can be heard saying in a video recorded at the scene.

Eyewitness Gabriel Gilmore said he was inside his mother's home when he heard a loud explosion and rushed outside to find out what had happened.

"It clearly looked like there was a bunch of illegal fireworks in the trunk," Gilmore said. "I don't know how the trunk got lit up, but obviously, you could see from the video that the truck hatch was busted open, and that was where the point of the explosion was."

As the Chino Police Department continues investigating the explosion with the Chino Valley Fire District, several nearby roadways remain closed.

This came as a South Carolina man died after a fireworks explosion on Lake Keowee near Seneca. The coroner says first responders received a call reporting a fireworks explosion on a private dock at 9:25 pm on July 4th.

Investigators said that while the family was setting off fireworks, a larger cache of fireworks accidentally ignited and exploded prematurely. According to the coroner, several people jumped into the lake to escape the blast.

Authorities said 20-year-old Brock Jackson was later found face down in the water inside the boat slip adjacent to the dock. Investigators believe he may have struck a nearby boat lift while trying to escape. Emergency responders performed life-saving measures before transporting him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at around 10:45 PM.