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A  28-year-old Michigan man who was setting off fireworks in February of last year to commemorate the death of a friend 

died himself when one of the fireworks exploded

 in a fireworks accident during last year's July Fourth weekend said he was protecting his little sister.

They were among at least 11 people who died from fireworks-related incidents last year, according to 

new data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission

, up slightly from the nine people previously reported to have been killed in 2021.

There were also an estimated 10,200 fireworks-related injuries last year, nearly three quarters of which occurred during the one-month period around July Fourth.

"Fireworks are beautiful to watch, but they can be deadly when mishandled or misused, or if the fireworks themselves contain illegal components," CPSC chair Alex Hoehn-Saric said in a statement.

Of the injuries reported during the one-month period around July Fourth last year, most of the victims were male, burns were the most common injury and the fireworks that accounted for the highest number of wounds were firecrackers and sparklers.

Here are a few tips from the commission and the 

Lifestyle

Joe Hernandez

Author

As July Fourth approaches, federal regulators are warning people to use fireworks safely, as a new report shows that fireworks-related injuries have been increasing.

Fireworks injuries have been rising. Here are some safety tips for July 4th

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