In this post, I will present conclusive proof that I am indeed cursed or have in some way offended the pyro god. Read on.

After setting up Taylorsville, shooting it and cleaning it up, a bunch of us headed over to WestFest to clean up that show until the wee hours of the morning. Apparently the newbies assigned to WestFest did not get the memo that pyro is more heavy lifting and cleaning gigantic messes than it is glitz and glamour...*sigh* BTW, West Valley-ites, ya'll need to learn how to use a trash can. That was seriously the nastiest venue I have ever been in.

Now to the good stuff!

July 3 - Centerville - One person does not a crew make

Now I might feel flattered that my crew thinks I have a whole show handled, but seriously. NONE of my crew showed up, called, answered their phones, anything. Thanks guys! So I wired the entire show by myself (but some guys did show up for the show and cleanup.) This was after the Ogden Standard-Examiner hung out during load-in taking pictures and videoing my boss doing his dog-and-pony "this is how a firework works" show (see the resulting story and video here.) Whoever picked the picture of me that ended up splashed all over the front page of the July 4th edition really needs a lesson in exactly what photograph is worthy of the front page. Eegads.

July 4 - Magna - Those poor homeless stick lizards

To tell this story, I defer to the written stylings of ulta-conservative LDS-owned and operated thinktank The Deseret News:

A fiery encore to the Magna municipal fireworks display Friday that burned 50 acres and caused $250,000 in damage was technically the fault of the company staging the show although the firm was not negligent, according to the results of a Unified Fire Authority investigation.

UFA spokesman Ben Sharer said investigators found "hundreds" of spent fireworks casings in the field, owned by the Kennecott Co., across from Magna Park, near 8400 West and State Route 201. Sharer said that although the blaze appears to have been caused by the casings, which were apparently carried into the field by high, upper-level winds on Friday night, there is no cause to believe the display company was negligent.

The company was issued a permit for the show after passing a UFA inspection and providing proof of a $1 million liability insurance policy. Sharer said UFA fire inspectors found the company's safety preparations prior to the show had "exceeded regulations."

The fire was brought under control by UFA firefighters, with help from Rocky Mountain Raceway, Kennecott employees and nearby residents. Sharer said the lack of water access in the area required fire crews to utilize water-tender trucks to battle the blaze. Equipment was brought in by both the raceway and Kennecott to aid UFA crews.

No homes or large structures were threatened by the blaze, though a small shed and multiple power poles, all Kennecott-owned, were consumed by the fire.
--Deseret News, July 7, 2008

Here's the gist from someone who was there. It was not windy on the ground. About 5-6 minutes into the show, a really high top-wind took a crackling waterfall shell off its trajectory and blew it across SR 201 where it burst too low to the ground. The crackling tails did not burn out before they hit the ground and ignited the dry grass. I was standing behind the shooting table, spotting, when I saw it hit the ground. The fire had spread to a nearby tree by the time I had booked it to the UFA fire marshal at the other side of the field. He said "well, its already lit, might as well keep shooting unless something else heads that direction," so the show continued. I stood with the fire marshal for the rest of the show and nothing else went awry. By the time our show was done, the fire had engulfed power poles, transformers and was headed toward a small pumphouse. It was still burning when we finished cleaning up and headed back to the shop hours later.

Final tally:
6 power poles
+ 6 transformers
+ 1 pumphouse/shed
+ 50 acres of stick lizard homes
= $300,000

Ouch.