Police: 1 Dead, 1 Hurt In Indiana Fireworks Explosion

HEBRON, Ind. (AP) -- Police say a fireworks explosion that killed a man and severely injured another man in northwestern Indiana appears to be accidental.

Hebron Police Chief Joshua Noel tells The (Northwest Indiana) Times that preliminary findings in Saturday night's death of 37-year-old Scott McKee suggest it was a "tragic accident."

The Porter County coroner says McKee died of blunt force trauma. Toxicology tests were pending.

Authorities say McKee was placing a mortar into a tube outside a home in Hebron when it exploded prematurely and struck him in the head.

Another man standing nearby was severely injured. Noel says the injured man was airlifted to a Chicago hospital for treatment.

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