So, either they were working on a big firecracker for the 4th, or, they were working on an IED. Just to point out that more than a few people doing one or the other have occasionally missed a step and detonated the thing a leeeetle too early.

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3 Dead After Black Powder Device Explodes Near Illinois Park

The three died from injuries they received in the explosion, LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch said. Autopsies were planned.

Three people have died after a black powder device exploded along a bank of the Illinois River in the northern part of the state, authorities said.

First responders were called to an area west of the Starved Rock State Park boat ramp where they they discovered three dead males around 7:20 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.

“With assistance from the (Illinois) State Police, the Kane County Bomb Squad Unit & the FBI, it was determined that the individuals appeared to have ignited a type of black powder substance along an area near the river bank,” LaSalle County Coroner Rich Ploch said…