One year later: Father warns parents after firework blows up in pant pocket

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- One year after driving himself to the hospital when a mortar firework blew up in his pocket, a father from Divide is warning others.

Justin Bryden had just started lighting fireworks with his kids on July 4 of 2019 when something went wrong.

The firework he was lighting sparked the mortars in his pocket.

"A misfire and the next thing I know I was exploding and my pants were on fire," Bryden explained.

His legs were left with burns he'd end up tending to for months.

"I had to scrub the burns which hurts tremendously and I had to get bandaged up and for at least a month or two, I had to clean and bandage the wounds," he said.

A doorbell security camera caught the entire incident on video.

It shows Bryden lighting the first mortar firework followed by a series of several fireworks flashing right in front of him.

With dozens of shows cancelled, he hopes families don't try and recreate their own show.

"Especially now with COVID, everyone is going to be drinking, everyone is going to be lighting off fireworks, and people are going to get hurt," Bryden says.