Mexico City fireworks disaster

On December 12, 1988, an explosion and subsequent fire triggered by illegal fireworks at the La Merced Market in La Merced, a neighborhood of Mexico City, killed more than 60 people.

The fireworks accident took place at about 14:30 local time,^[1] in an alley next to the main market.^[2] El País reported that the fire began when a gas cylinder used by a street food vendor exploded.^[3] According to one witness, a single crate of fireworks initially exploded, which triggered a chain reaction of more exploding firework crates.^[4] The fireworks immediately sparked a fire that spread to several nearby buildings containing shops and apartments, as well as almost 300 stalls in the marketplace.^[1][2] Fires continued for most of the rest of the day.^[4]

By nightfall on the 12th, 51 people had been confirmed dead by the Red Cross, with up to 83 injuries.^[4] By the 13th, the death toll had reached at least 60, with the fire department saying that 62 people had died and the police putting the number at 64.^[1]

In response to the disaster, Mexico city mayor Manuel Camacho Solis ordered the sale and use of fireworks in the city to be made illegal; previously, vendors selling fireworks were required to have a permit, while their use was unregulated.^[1] Local reaction to the ban was skeptical, as residents said that illegal fireworks vendors frequently bribed local officials, who then ignored complaints about the situation.^[1]

• List of fireworks accidents and incidents