Stray Cigarette Butt Causes Fireworks To Go Off In Car

A driver and three passengers escaped unscathed but with frayed nerves after a firework went off in their car last night, reports RÚV.

At roughly 01:45 am police were alerted to a car fire in Kópavogur. Once on the scene the car had been consumed by flames.

According to police the passengers were smoking in the car. After finishing their cigarette one of the passengers threw the butt out of the car window, only to have it swoop back into the car and accidentally set a firework fuse alight, causing the firework to go off in the car.

Luckily, the passengers escaped in the nick of time because the firework set off a multiple tube device or “cake firework” which ultimately destroyed the car. Neither the driver nor the passengers will be held responsible, as the incident is being treated as an accident

Chief Inspector Gylfi Sigurðsson with the Kópavogur police department told RÚV that it is normal for people to set off fireworks after the thirteenth (Twelfth Night) has passed, even though it is illegal to do so. Several noise complaints have been made to the police due to people setting off fireworks in the past week and one charge has been brought forward for illegally setting off fireworks.