Wildlife officer hurt in firework explosion

A state wildlife officer suffered injuries when a commercial firework he'd retrieved during an invesigation exploded while he was handling it.

The officer was taken to a Denver hospital after the accident Wednesday in the San Luis Valley, officials said. His injuries were said to be non-life threatening.

The officer, whose name had not been released Saturday, was investigating the illegal use of fireworks to harass wildlife when he came across the unexploded commercial-grade firework.

"This was a firework that was collected as part of an investigation," Randy Hampton, spokesman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told the Denver Post. "Several days later at the employee's home, he was taking it out of his vehicle when it detonated."