Man shoots off firework from top of his head, dies

A Calais man was killed Saturday night after placing a fireworks mortar tube atop his head and setting it off, the first fireworks-related death in Maine since they became legal in 2012, as mentioned by Maine State Police.

Devon Staples, 22, of Calais, Maine, died instantly of a fatal head injury when a firework held near his head went off accidentally while he was holding a lighter, his brother Cody Staples said.

The Bangor Daily News reported that 22-year-old Devon Staples was drinking with friends to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday when the accident occurred.

Stephen McCausland, a representative for the Maine Department of Public Safety said Staples has been drinking with friends prior to the incident.

It is illegal to possess fireworks in Massachusetts.

A June 2014 study by the USA Consumer Product Safety Commission tallied 94 fireworks-related deaths in the United States between 2000 and 2013, with eight occurring in 2013.

The accident was among several Fourth of July fireworks mishaps reported.

As stated by his Facebook page, Staples was engaged and lived in Orlando Fla. where he formerly worked for Disney.

[Image: David McNew/Getty Images News].