SimpliSafe, a company that specializes in home security systems, was trending Wednesday after a terrifying video showed what can happen when using fireworks goes wrong.
The clip, which has been viewed over 25 million times on Twitter (after initially being posted on Reddit and subsequently deleted), shows a gathering of people sitting in a driveway, including several children.
In the top left corner of the video, a logo for SimpliSafe can be seen throughout the entire clip.
Ummmm. pic.twitter.com/XOESbiyjV9
— Cody (@new_orleansjazz) July 6, 2022
The first firework goes off but sends sparks flying. Just when the coast appears to be clear, a fire breaks out and sets off an explosive chain reaction of fireworks and fire while people in the video bolt for safety.
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Twitter lit up with theories about what actually happened.
“I admit I rewatched this a few times too many but I really think the stash was lit by an errant firework from the main one that seems to have misfired,” One Twitter user perused. “The guy looked at the area & turned away knowing it was gonna blow (ears covered) but he didn’t know how big it was gonna be.”
“You can see what happened, if you look,” another pointed out. “The first firework they lit shot into the trunk of the car [where] the rest of the fireworks must have been stored.”
Others thought that the video might have been a setup.
“If this is viral marketing for SimpliSafe it’s genius,” someone wrote regarding the clip. “The camera and microphone quality is good enough to paint the entire narrative in striking detail, from the uncle yelling about how fireworks mortars work, to the mother hastily removing her child. A rich tapestry.”
“Anyone else love the irony of SimpliSafe in the corner,” another asked.
SimpliSafe told Entrepreneur they were surprised to see their name trending on Wednesday.
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“While the quality and sensational nature of the video captured on our SimpliSafe camera might make this seem like a marketing stunt from SimpliSafe, it is decidedly not. Customer video and audio cannot be accessed without permission by anyone besides the owner, so we were just as shocked to see the video online after the customer shared it,” Scott Braun, Chief Growth Officer of SimpliSafe told Entrepreneur via email. “As a company that’s in the business of protection, we do not make light of events that would put our customers’ safety at risk, whether those incidents are within our control or not. True to our commitment to protecting our customers, we are attempting to reach the customer to ensure their family and loved ones are safe.”
It is not clear where or when the viral incident took place, nor do we know if there were any injuries sustained. The Twitter user who posted the video explained that he didn’t actually have any relation to the people in the video.
“I found it on Reddit, decided to post it here because of all the talk about fireworks here in Utah and it just went crazy,” he wrote.
SimpliSafe also posted a PSA to its Twitter account on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve received many comments and inquiries today about whether this was a planned event,” the Tweet reads. “We exist to protect our customers and don’t make light of events that put their safety at risk. If you are or know someone in this video please let us know if everyone involved is safe.”
Last year, there were an estimated 11,500 firework-related injuries treated during hospital emergency rooms in the U.S., with 74% of these injuries being reported during the one-month period between June 18 and July 18, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
