The Fourth of July fireworks display in Montauk was shut down about 15 minutes after it started on Monday thanks to what may have been a defective shell.
"It was closed down because there was an explosion that was not part of the show," said James Dunlop, East Hampton Town's senior fire marshal. Mr. Dunlop, who was in charge of safety, stopped the display a little more than halfway through to prevent further explosions caused by the ensuing sparks.