Neighborhood Reflects On a Fireworks Tragedy 1 Year Later

You hear it every year: fireworks are dangerous. One Ark-La-Tex neighborhood, however, knows that first hand. The home next door to Alex Alexander's Shady Grove home was completely destroyed by fire after children began shooting fireworks underneath the carport. According to reports, the children were unsupervised. It's a Fourth of July tragedy Alexander says he will never forget. "The hard work they put into that house was for nothing," he said.
 
One year later, the owner of that home rebuilt and the rubble has been replaced with a brand new house; a house Neil May and his family call home. "First question was are we going to use fireworks here," May said, " obviously we're not." That is exactly what his neighbors want. "Most of my neighbors won't even let their teenage kids shoot fireworks because of that incident," Alexander said. With two small children of his own, May plans to follow their lead. "Moving into this house that burned down because of fireworks," May said," it's going to make us more aware."

The physical damage might be gone. Yet, in this community, the lessons still remain. The hope is that no other community will have to learn the hard way.