Man injured after lighting M-80 in his kitchen

WARREN

A 47-year-old Warren man was undergoing surgery Wednesday morning in St. Elizabeth Health Center for injuries to his hand from an explosion inside his home.

Ron Black Jr. of Clermont Avenue Northeast was injured at 3:05 a.m. Wednesday when an M-80 exploded in his kitchen because the fuse “lit too quick,” he told police.

Authorities initially thought Black was going to lose most of one hand and that the explosive was home made, but authorities now believe he won’t lose his hand and that the explosive was not home made, said Warren Fire Chief Ken Nussle.

Because of the uncertainty of the situation, the Warren police and fire departments received assistance from the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Nussle said it’s still not clear why Black was igniting the M-80 in his kitchen at 3:05 a.m. or why he had done it near a tub of water, a bag of sand-like material and a bottle of liquid drain de-clogger.

The explosion injured Black’s hand and caused a puncture wound to his abdomen.

Black went to his bedroom after the explosion. He contacted his sister, who lives next door, at about 4:45 a.m., and she called 911.

Police found Black in the bathroom with his injured hand in the bathtub.

In the kitchen, police found blood, broken drinking glasses, cardboard flakes, water, a shattered kitchen window, and small holes in the kitchen wall and ceiling.