3,700 pounds of fireworks taken from Hillsborough home to be destroyed

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Emergency crews are set to destroy 3,700 pounds of fireworks from a home in Hillsborough.

The owner of the home is a former fireworks distributor who used to put on fireworks shows. He recently sold the house and called Orange County officials to get help safely disposing of the explosives.

Orange County Assistant Fire Marshal Elizabeth Farnan said she's thankful the homeowner called for help instead of taking matters into his own hands.

"There are a lot of fireworks in there and these have sat in the container for several years, so they've deteriorated," Farnan said. "A lot of that flash powder has spilled out into the container, so you have to remove it with shovels that are non-sparking. You have to have on certain equipment, and it's going to be a long, tedious process."

Crews spent all morning loading the old fireworks into a trailer. They then hauled the load off to the quarry off Eno Mountain Road where they will set them on fire.

Fire officials said the burning could cause some explosive sounds, but they're not expecting it to be a long or excessively loud experience. They think the old fireworks will just burn out peacefully.