Sometimes a small amount of stupidity combines with Murphy's Law....

About twenty years ago, about eighty of us used to camp/party Labour Day weekend every year on an island, huge spit roasts, many two-fours, etc.

We also had fireworks.

A lot of fireworks.

So this year, the responsible (for the fireworks, don't get me wrong) boys opened up the metal crate of fireworks (about $500. worth) and set up the first lot. Then they lit the first one. It went straight up in the air...

...and straight back down...

...into the crate.

Mayhem. The women ran for the salt marsh. The men were diving for cover. People up in the woods were wondering who started the war, and then they were layin' on their bellies hopin' not to take a hit. Fireworks were going off horizontal, at belly level, bouncing along the beach. The dune grass caught fire. Folks on the mainland were sayin' our fireworks weren't as visible this year...

Amazingly, not one person was hurt and we got the fire out pretty quick.