Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 23, 1993                   TAG: 9306230086
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

FIREWORKS MAKER RECALLS PRODUCT

An industry official said it was one of the biggest such recalls ever.

The sets, which consist of four 14-inch mortar tubes mounted on a board and connected by a single fuse, are being voluntarily recalled by Starr Display Fireworks of Fargo, N.D., the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The commission said the recall covers four-shot fireworks sets bearing Nos. 100, 200 and 300 made since 1987.

Consumers are urged to stop using the products immediately because of the possibility they could cause injury or death, the commission said. The fireworks, which sell for about $40 a set, were distributed to 100 wholesalers around the country.

Consumers can obtain a full refund by returning the fireworks to the store where they were purchased, the commission said.

The commission said it had not received any reports of deaths or injuries attributed to the fireworks, but similar products that tipped over caused two deaths two years ago.

After the deaths, an industry trade group urged its members to make the devices with larger bases so that they would be less likely to tip over.

The items were stable when tested on a hard surface but if used on grass there was a possibility that they could tip over, said John Conkling, director of the American Pyrotechnics Association.

"The industry has strongly recommended that manufacturers use larger bases and reduce the powder content of the multiple-shot item," he said.

Conkling said the recall was one of the largest in the fireworks industry, which is dominated by products imported from China. Starr said most of the fireworks have already been sold and estimated that only 5,000-10,000 of the recalled items are still on store shelves.