Sudbury High School Apologizes for Fireworks Incident at Varsity Game

Officials from a Massachusetts high school are apologizing for an incident where fireworks were set off dangerously close to the crowd at a varsity football game Friday night.

Lincoln-Sudbury High School Principal Bella Wong said in a statement that the fireworks were set off during Friday night's game between Lincoln-Sudbury and Fitchburg high schools held in Sudbury.

She said five or six fireworks were set off from the area between Concord Road and behind the bleachers, some of which landed in the bleachers where spectators were seated and on the field. The incident left several attendees, including athletes, officials and spectators, frightened.

Wong stressed that this was not a deliberate attempt to target visitors and said an investigation will follow.

"As well as being frightened about one's safety, it also caused some of our visitors to wonder if they were the intentional targets," she said. "I apologize on the behalf of our community to that of the Fitchburg school community that last night's events caused any of them to feel at all that that would be a possibility."

Commentators narrating the game began to suspect something unusual happening in the nearby woods near the end of the game.

"He's lighting something. We should be videoing this kid, he's lighting off a smoke bomb or something," one of two commentators is heard saying on a video recording of the game.

Then, a series of bangs were heard before smoke engulfed the field, ending the game nine minutes early.

"The fireworks were unusually loud, very disturbing, and upsetting," said Eric Kimble, who lives across the street from the football field and was at home when it all happened. "I'd say 10 to 12 very loud bursts. I didn't see anything because I didn't look out the window, but it was certainly unusually loud."

In her statement, Wong apologized to all attendees and expressed her appreciation for the athletes, athletic directors, officials, staff, and spectators for their cooperation.

The incident is under investigation by Sudbury police and Lincoln-Sudbury High School.