KEY POINTS

  • The fire broke out at the Phantom Fireworks Shop in West Melbourne
  • The driver rear-ended another car before crashing into the store
  • He was reportedly on his way to pick up his kids when the incident took place

A huge fire through a Florida fireworks store, leaving it completely gutted, after a man crashed his SUV into the establishment Monday. The vehicle's driver lost his life in the incident.

The fire broke out at the Phantom Fireworks Shop in West Melbourne when the SUV driven by the man crashed into the building after rear-ending another vehicle. As soon as the SUV made contact with the shop, it ignited some rockets that whizzed all over the place, starting a few more fires and causing a string of explosions, Florida Today reported.

The driver was killed on the spot, according to WRBL-TV.

"It was wild. I could not believe how close people were to it as the fireworks were still blowing up," Palm Bay resident Richard Griffin said, as per the outlet. "The mortars and stuff like that, those things can go 100 yards or more when you shoot them straight in the air. So you've got these mortars and all sorts of different types of fireworks that are shooting all over."

The 5,573-square-foot (518-square-meter) store was damaged, authorities reportedly said.

The motorist involved in the fiery crash was later identified as 53-year-old John Marcano, Click Orlando reported. Marcano was on his way to pick up his children from school when the accident took place.

Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Channing Taylor said Marcano was driving an SUV that hit a pickup truck twice before crashing into the building. "After the impact, the driver of the pickup truck started to proceed forward to pull off to the side of the road to exchange information. The driver struck her again and pushed her through the intersection into the parking lot," Taylor said, according to the outlet.

A photograph posted on Twitter by WKMG reporter Catherine Silver shows how the fire left extensive damage to the property and turned the building into a pile of debris.

Marcano's cousin, Roxana Dominguez remembered him as a happy-go-lucky family guy. "He was just a funny and happy guy. He loved his wife, his children. Hard worker, working for the same company for 18 years," Dominguez told Click Orlando.

The man left behind his wife and two sons. "You never know how much time you have left on this earth, if it's days, weeks or minutes. You got to value every moment you have that you can be with family, and doing things you enjoy," Dominguez added.

Firework/Firecracker
Representation. Pixabay-PublicDomainPictures
Florida