64-year-old man suffers hand injury in Montpelier fireworks incident

A 64-year-old man suffered a hand injury in a fireworks incident near Montpelier in Stutsman County, and Sheriff Chad Kaiser confirmed the case to local media. Officials did not release the man’s name, the type of fireworks involved or how severe the injury was.

The incident put a fresh spotlight on a recurring July 4 safety problem in southeastern North Dakota, where fireworks injuries tend to cluster around holiday celebrations. Montpelier is a rural community in Stutsman County, a county that stretches across 2,298 square miles and includes Jamestown and surrounding towns.

Stutsman County was organized in 1873 and now has a population of 21,593, making it the second-largest county in North Dakota by area. Kaiser has led the sheriff’s office since he was first elected in November 2010, and the office is responsible for covering all of Stutsman County as well as the Stutsman County Correctional Center.

No public report identified the specific fireworks device, the exact circumstances of the mishap or whether additional responders were called to the scene. The lack of released details leaves the key facts limited to the injury itself and the location near Montpelier.

Fireworks remain a predictable source of injury in the days surrounding Independence Day, and hand wounds are among the most common because people are often holding the device when it ignites or malfunctions. In a county as large and rural as Stutsman, with residents spread across more than 2,000 square miles, even a single injury can quickly become an EMS response question for families deciding whether a burn or blast wound needs immediate medical attention.

Kaiser’s office continues to handle incidents across the county, from Montpelier to Jamestown, as holiday firework use picks up. For Stutsman County residents, the injury is another reminder that a celebration can turn into an emergency in a second, especially when fireworks are handled at close range.