As the fireworks exploded in the sky, a host of irked Mercer Islanders were caught off guard on the late evening of Aug. 19.

The thunderous off-Island show, which was not city related, occurred about an hour later than planned at 11:35 p.m. and lasted 18 minutes.

To culminate the daylong Recovery Funfest/Fireworks for Recovery at the Seward Park amphitheater in Seattle, a technician from Pyro Spectaculars unleashed the permitted barrage of fireworks from a barge off Lake Washington between the Island and Seattle. Residents on the west side of the Island experienced louder and more visible effects of the third-party fireworks display than anticipated, reads a city social media notice.

Some concerned residents fired emails the city’s way following the surprise fireworks exhibit.

“We should have provided advance notice to the Island, and we are making sure that when a fireworks show is permitted we give people a heads up,” said Mason Luvera, the city’s communications manager. “In this situation, the noise and the impacts were much greater than anticipated.”

According to Mercer Island Fire Marshal Jeromy Hicks and Pyro’s Northwest regional manager Richard Vaughan, the gathering was running behind schedule after it experienced technical difficulties prior to a big-screen movie showing that was set to precede the fireworks display.

The event’s website noted that “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” was scheduled at about 8:30 p.m. and that fireworks would light up the night at 10:40 p.m. or so.

Vaughan said that the celebration of sobriety event organizer Kelly Farnsworth contacted the pyro technician at roughly 9 p.m. and explained the situation. Farnsworth said the technician asked for a 30-minute forewarning if the organizer wanted the fireworks show to begin early, but that didn’t occur because he got the movie up and running. About two and a half hours later, the fireworks show began, and Vaughan feels it was too late for blast off.

“As a company, we apologize. We are not going to let this happen again,” said Vaughan, adding that the large Spokane company rolls out fireworks shows for the Space Needle, the Seattle Mariners and more and told Farnsworth that the company’s reputation is on the line and it was a learning experience for those involved in the occurrence.

City officials weren’t apprised of the situation and Vaughan didn’t learn about the incident until the following day.

Hicks noted that when he spoke to Vaughan on Aug. 20, “He understood my concerns and the concerns of Mercer Island residents, rightfully so. He understood that it was not typical for them to do that (start the show late).”

An apologetic Farnsworth penned a letter to Vaughan and some city officials and said he will express his regret in person at city council’s next meeting. Farnsworth, who has been sober for more than 40 years and pays for the uplifting event himself, said the fireworks are an enhancement to the celebration. He appreciates that city council issued the permit and has no knowledge if there will be a fine for the late pyro start.

“A million apologies from the bottom of my heart. This is something that I take serious. I’m an animal lover, I also live on the water. I understand the equation of the way sound shoots across the water faster than it would in a dense populated area,” Farnsworth told the Reporter. “This is something that the city and the fire marshal, they all went to bat for this. I am just so sorry from the bottom of my heart that I let everybody down in this particular incident. This is something that’s supposed to be positive.”

The city of Seattle permitted Farnsworth to utilize Seward Park and he has requested to rent the park for next year’s event. The passionate, community-focused man said he’ll make sure that an incident like this one will never happen again.

After the Mercer Island Fire Marshal’s Office reviewed the Public Display of Fireworks Permit — since the barge was scheduled to be located within the city’s jurisdiction — and recommended it to city council, the members approved the document at their July 18 meeting.

Council issues the permit “if the applicant meets the requirements for state licensing, insurance coverage, and safety,” the city said.

On social media, one resident said the noise was scary, two more Islanders appreciated the city’s transparency, while another local said it seemed irresponsible to discharge fireworks during a Stage II complete burn ban.

In regards to the burn ban in effect, Luvera noted: “These over-the-water shows are designed on the water and only permitted in a way where it eliminates any chance that it could ignite something on land. We want to ensure Islanders know this would not have been allowed to take place if there were fire risks related to the show.”

Hicks said that everything and everyone was safe during the fireworks display and that Island marine officers patrolled the waters of the isolation zone during the show as required in the permit.

Moving forward, the city will use this experience to update the Fire Marshal’s office administrative policies and review its city code regarding fireworks shows, including implementing new time limits, noise restrictions and cancellation parameters, according to the notice.

“We want to make sure that our city code and our administrative policies are reflective of all situations so that we don’t have this happen in the future,” Luvera said.