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Fireworks Tent Blows Up Along Route 30

CHESTER, W. Va. (KDKA) -- Authorities are investigating after a fireworks tent blew up over the weekend, shutting down Route 30 and sending people running for cover.

The accident happened around 10 p.m. Saturday along Route 30 as it crosses into West Virginia.

Dave McHenry was driving near Chester, W. Va., with his girlfriend when they saw what was going on and shot some cell phone video.

"We see a bunch of smoke and cars pulled over. So, we stop, the fireworks just start exploding," said McHenry. "There was a cop car there. They started bouncing off the cop car. It started going up over the hill. They started bouncing off of houses and stuff. It was crazy."

McHenry says the explosions came from a fireworks stand, just put up earlier in the day.

"We watched them set it up on the way out. We came home, it was a fireworks show," he said.

Right now, no one knows how it started.

There is a bar next to the fireworks tent. Investigators are wondering if there is some connection, maybe an employee or a patron knows.

Firefighters say no one was hurt, but the explosions lasted more than 30 minutes.

"Had to be hundreds, maybe thousands of fireworks," said McHenry. "Someone likened it to a war zone. I've never been in a war zone, so I'm not sure about that, but that's what it sounded like to them."

The fire marshal will take a look at the burned out mess to try to figure out what happened.

The actual tent burned up, but no real damage was done to the homes or cars that were hit.

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