On the evening of October 2, a drone fireworks display in Liuyang, Hunan province, caused an accident as sparks fell into the crowd like a meteor shower, prompting screams and leading to a small-scale fire. Officials stated that the incident did not result in any injuries, sparking skepticism among netizens.
According to several netizens who posted videos, the fireworks display held at the Sky Theater consisted of five chapters. The earlier fireworks display went smoothly, but the accident occurred during the drone performance at the end, igniting a fire.
Video footage from the scene showed sparks falling like a meteor shower from the sky onto the theater and the crowd. People immediately cried out, saying, “It’s so dangerous,” “Something is wrong, it hit someone,” “It’s on fire, help.” Subsequently, nearby trees caught fire, and people began to evacuate.
According to a message from the “Sky Theater” official WeChat account, on the evenings of October 2nd and 3rd, two fireworks shows were held at the Liuyang Sky Theater. The performances used drone formations, combined with a 200-meter floating platform to create aerial and water-based interactive scenes.
Regarding the accident, on October 3rd, a staff member from the Liuyang Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism and Radio and Television responded to media inquiries, stating that the fireworks display area was relatively large, with combustible materials such as straw below, and the dry weather easily led to fires. No injuries were reported.
However, a netizen from Hunan claimed, “It did catch fire. Many people were hit.” Other netizens also commented, “How could no one be injured? Many people suffered burns and had their hair singed,” “This company is the same fireworks troupe that burned a mountain in Weifang, Shandong in May. It’s not the first time.”
Some questioned, “What were they thinking, throwing fire sparks from the sky down?” “No casualties in such a meteor shower? Impressive, causing a man-made disaster and walking away unscathed.” “Amazing, artificial disaster,” “I thought it was an air raid,” “Incredible, a real-life meteor shower!” “Why have there been so many disasters in the past two years?”