Twelve years old and well versed in the art of converting a Fourth of July fireworks fountain into a tiny explosive, a friend hands me my first bottle rocket and lights the fuse.

I expect the firework at the end of the stick to fly off. Instead, a shower of burning gunpowder scorches my arm. I still have the marks.

I was lucky.

A nine-year-old girl in Compton last July 4th weekend lost her entire left hand and several fingers on her right when an illegal firework exploded in a park. Elsewhere in Los Angeles County, a man lost most of his fingers. Across the nation, four people were killed by fireworks.

In a report released this week, the Consumer Products Safety Commission documented 11,100 fireworks injuries last year.

While some were illegal, the troubling tragedy is that many injuries were caused by so-called “safe and sane” fireworks.

Some 900 of those documented injuries were caused by sparklers. Yes, sparklers.

But more shocking is that 400 of those injured were 4 years old or younger. Who gives a toddler something that burns, one that reportedly is illegal in California? But other questions linger as well. What kind of person sells gunpowder gussied up to look like a toy?

“Each year, thousands of people are injured from using consumer fireworks,” said Lorraine Carli, a vice president with the National Fire Protection Association. “Even sparklers, which are often thought of as harmless enough for children to hold, burn at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause significant injuries.”

The safety commission report adds that another 100 injuries were caused by fountains. Each one involved eyes.

The National Safety Council, too, gives a special warning about sparklers. “Every year, young children can be found along parade routes and at festivals with sparklers in hand, but they are a lot more dangerous than most people think.

“Sparklers can quickly ignite clothing, and many children have received severe burns from dropping sparklers on their feet.”

For all ages, burns are the most common injuries. Next, are hands and fingers followed by legs. Nine percent of injuries are to eyes.

“Knowing the harm fireworks inflict each year, particularly among young people,” Carli said this week, “we urge everyone to leave fireworks to the professionals who are trained to safely put on spectacular displays.”

With California facing a long, hot summer and moisture levels in plants already far below what they were this time a year ago, it’s also worth noting fireworks are blamed for an annual average of 18,500 fires.

That average includes 1,300 structure fires, reports the National Fire Protection Association. It also includes $43 million in property damage.

Given our national boys-will-be-boys mentality when it comes to backyard fireworks, it’s easy to assume most fireworks-related injuries are caused by and involve young people. Not so.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that 61 percent of injuries involved people 20 and older. An astonishing 9 percent involved people 45 and over.

It’s time to grow up.

GOVERNMENT

In an era when we lay rubber mats in playgrounds, it’s hard to believe that California has 295 communities that allow fireworks to be sold. Some fireworks shacks already are in operation. Most open at noon Saturday, July 1.

Riverside County has five cities that allow “safe and sane” fireworks, San Bernardino County has eight cities, Orange County 10. Los Angeles County has a whopping 39 cities where fireworks are legal.

That’s a lot of gunpowder to spark up. And unless laws change, it’s likely there will be more fires and more injuries next Independence Day.

Fifteen years ago, according to the safety commission, the United States imported 155.3 millions pounds of fireworks. Last year, we imported 262.3 million pounds.

That’s legal pounds. Reviewing Southland Craigslist ads, there’s also serious trafficking in illegal fireworks.

When I was a lad, we taped tiny legal firecrackers together for a bit bigger explosion. Oh, those halcyon – and dumb – days.

The biggest concern two decades ago, reports the Office of the California State Fire Marshal, was illegal bottle rockets and firecrackers. Today, it’s aerial shells that “rival or surpass those used at most public fireworks displays.”

It gets worse.

“Many people are using illegal fireworks,” the marshal’s office states, “in every community because of the sheer volume … and because in many communities they don’t fear any repercussion or consequences for their illegal actions.”

The office calls for a massive effort among local, state and federal officials to stem the tide of illegal fireworks.

In reality, the Consumer Products Safety Commission’s grim statistic of 11,100 fireworks injuries is only a glimpse of the total carnage. The commission gets its data from hospital emergency rooms and many accidents go unreported, especially when illegal fireworks are involved.

If you must light up, wear protective eyewear, light one device at a time, maintain a safe distance, don’t try to re-ignite fireworks, have a bucket or hose handy, soak fireworks in water before discarding.

But also consider the safety commission’s report. It includes a story about a 7-month-old boy at the beach last year whose eyebrows were burned off when grandpa’s “cake” firework toppled over.

Another page details how a 10-year-old girl suffered burns on her arm and chest when a missile-type firework toppled over and rocketed toward her.

Instead of wondering what kind of adult plays with fireworks or allows their child to handle them, the larger question is further upstream.

Why do elected officials allow over-the-counter fireworks?