Colorado man’s attempt to launch largest firework fails

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado man’s attempt to launch a world record aerial fireworks shell has failed.

The Steamboat Pilot & Today reports Tim Borden, a pyrotechnics expert, tried to launch the 62-inch (157-centimeter) diameter shell from the top of Howelsen Hill Ski Area in northern Colorado on Saturday night, but it exploded too early. The firework was supposed to shoot about a mile (1.6 kilometers) into the sky before combusting.

Borden has said it’s difficult to calculate how much explosives are needed to successfully launch the 2,500-pound (1,134-kilogram) shell. He and his team spent years testing progressively larger fireworks, including a 48-inch (122-centimeter) shell that was the largest ever launched in North America.

Borden vowed not to give up after the failed attempt, saying, “We’ll be back here again next winter.”

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Information from: Steamboat Pilot & Today, http://steamboatpilot.com/