Colo. teen hurt in coffee grinder fireworks blast

[July 08, 2011]  DURANGO, Colo. (AP) -- A Colorado teen is recovering from serious burns he suffered when the fireworks he was attempting to mix in a coffee grinder exploded.

Police say the incident happened Monday when 19-year-old Sean Michael Ogden of Durango was trying to break down fireworks he had purchased so he could turn them into larger fireworks. The blast shook the house of a fire inspector who lives about a quarter-mile away.

Fire marshal Tom Kaufman told The Durango Herald that the friction from the electric grinder could have ignited the mixture.

He says the teen had read online about how larger fireworks could be made from smaller ones.

[Associated Press]

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