San Diego fireworks display follows Oban’s example

It was billed as the “Big Bay Boom”, but a more fitting title for San Diego’s Fourth of July fireworks display would have been “Big Brief Boom”.

The Californian city’s Independence Day spectacle was over in just 15 seconds after an unknown technical glitch caused all the fireworks to explode at once, leaving more than 500,000 onlookers bemused.

Spectators had massed at beaches and parks to watch, with some having camped out for hours in anticipation of the pyrotechnics.

The force of the four simultaneous blasts set car alarms off and caused some to flee the area in confusion.

It is not the first time a fireworks display has gone so spectacularly wrong.

Last year Oban’s planned 20-minute Guy Fawkes display went off in just 50 seconds, and became a YouTube phenomenon as a result.

The San Diego event was also supposed to last 20 minutes and include fireworks from four barges.

The music which was intended to be synchronised with the display played on, according to spectators.