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A tragic incident occurred on July 4th when a Maryville man, identified as 35-year-old Matthew Sellars, died following a firework explosion. According to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), the accident happened around 10 p.m. on Evergreen Farms Lane, located between Binfield and Greenback.
Deputies responded to a call about an unconscious person and arrived to find three individuals performing CPR on Sellars. The deputies took over CPR and applied pressure to a chest wound until emergency medical services (AMR) arrived. Sellars was transported to Blount Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10:30 p.m.
A witness reported that Sellars was holding a firework in his hand when it exploded into his chest.