Five burn patients from Hawaii who were severely injured in a fireworks explosion on New Year’s Eve have now been discharged from an Arizona hospital.
The survivors were treated at Valleywise Health's Diane & Bruce Halle Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix.
The fireworks explosion at a Honolulu home resulted in six fatalities, including one person who was part of the group flown to Arizona for treatment in January.
A military team helped with transporting the group from the island to Phoenix due to capacity issues with Hawaii’s burn unit.
Arizona Burn Center Director Kevin Foster says two of the patients are in inpatient rehab with the other three in outpatient therapy.
“Burn injuries are lifelong injuries and all five of them have got lots of work ahead of them. They all have fairly substantial scars," he said.
Foster says most, if not all, of the patients will need to undergo reconstructive surgeries but that they are lucky to have support from family and friends. He said all five plan to return to Hawaii in the weeks and months ahead.
