Local fireworks stand hit hard by Friday night's storm

TOPEKA (KSNT) - From damaged products to busted tents, fireworks stands around town are recovering from last night's storm.

Severe weather made for a very chaotic Friday night for Mission Hill's stand, located at Mission Hill Church.

Pastor Steve Peoples said this is only his second time seeing weather this disruptive in his 20+ years of running the stand. Not only did the tent itself suffer damage like broken poles, but the church threw away several boxes of product that got wet.

"We were hit by a microburst a number of years ago, and then this year," Peoples said. "No poles on the west side of the tent were still standing - one was. Tables thrown everywhere. So, it's hard to watch."

100% of the proceeds from Mission Hill's stand are donated to various service missions around the world, making the loss an emotional one for Peoples and his team. The team is still in the process of calculating exactly how much inventory was lost. Some fireworks that were on display during the storm were salvaged, as only their exterior boxes suffered water damage.

The church is currently drying the boxes that could be saved with fans, but Peoples refused to sell damaged fireworks to customers due to safety reasons.

He credited his team of volunteers for their efforts following the storm. With their help, the stand opened on time at 9 a.m. with plenty of fresh product on the shelves.

Getting things back on track quickly is a huge deal for Mission Hill, as the goal is to raise as much money as possible this weekend for those in need.