Tent operator gives firsthand account of fireworks explosion fire in Cadillac

CADILLAC — Michigan State Police at the Cadillac Post are investigating a fire that broke out at a fireworks tent in Cadillac over the Fourth of July weekend.

Michigan State Police said it happened after four in the morning on July 5 in a parking lot off Mitchell Street.

Police said when they arrived, the tent was on fire and fireworks were actively going off.

Cady Alvarado from Luther, works for Jake’s Fireworks, and was sleeping in her truck, less than five feet away from the tent, when she was woken up by the sound of the pops and bangs of fireworks going off.

“I was woken up to fireworks going off and hitting my truck. I thought I was going to die. I immediately grabbed my phone and called 911 and then started fumbling for my keys to back my truck up and get the heck out of there and get to safety,” said Alvarado.

She is required to keep an eye on the merchandise. She said a nearby fireworks tent was robbed last year in the Meijer parking lot.

“I was scared. I was really scared. I honestly didn’t think I was gonna make it out. I was scared that my truck was going to blow up, because there was also a gas can nearby that was filled with gas. That was for our generator that runs the tent, as well as my truck,” said Alvarado.

Luckily, she was able to get out of harm’s way. All she could do was watch the remaining inventory go up in flames. Saturday was the last day she was supposed to be selling fireworks, after two weeks of selling out of that location.

“Fireworks were shooting all over. They were shooting into Main Street. They were shooting towards the fast-food places surrounding them. I had first pulled my truck back and had backed up kind of towards Taco Bell, and that wasn’t far enough,” said Alvarado.

State police are investigating if the fire was intentionally set but don’t have a cause or any suspects identified yet.

Alvarado said social media posts saying the fireworks ignited because of the heat are wrong.

“The heat does not make them go off at all. It does not ignite them. It has to be an open flame,” said Alvarado.

She’s also been accused of setting the fire herself on social media, for insurance money but she said that’s absolutely false.

She’s a stay-at-home mom of three young kids, trying to make some extra cash for her family.

“It hurts. It really hurts because people that don’t even know me are trying to assume things about me,” said Alvarado.

She said she was still shaken up days later. The scene replays like a loop in her mind. She said she’s lucky to be alive, but this will have lasting impacts for her.

“I’m very shaky all the time. Because it’s still, you know, close to the fourth. A lot of people are still lighting off fireworks and having their fun. And every little pop that goes off, just has me shaking and at the point of tears, feeling like I’m right back there,” said Alvarado.

State Police said anyone who has information about what happened to contact them.