Quote:A young man who was drinking and celebrating the Fourth of July tried to launch a firework off the top of his head, fatally injuring himself, authorities said Sunday.


Devon Staples and his friends had been drinking and setting off fireworks Saturday night in the backyard of a friend's home in the small eastern Maine city of Calais, said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. Staples, 22, of Calais, placed a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off, he said. The firework exploded, killing Staples instantly, McCausland said.


His death is the first fireworks fatality in Maine since the state legalized fireworks on Jan. 1, 2012, authorities said.
Calais is on the Canadian border near New Brunswick.

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Burst water pipe issues plagued Boston-area residents and businesses over the past few days as temperatures dipped to dangerous levels. 
In Roxbury, Lisa Jones said her homes' pipes froze. Jones said she called her landlord and the landlord asked whether she had heaters to run near the pipes.

Jones said she refused to use heaters near her pipes and that the pipes later burst.  Frozen water leaked into Jones' basement.
Jones said she had to take her kids to a hotel to let them bathe. Jones said she had to skip work on Monday as well. 

Building Commissioner William Christopher said inspectors would issue several citations to Jones' landlord.
"It's questionable whether people can stay in this house or not," Christopher said.
Overall, Boston officials received more than 150 pipe-related calls over the weekend. In 50 of the cases, the city sent inspectors to enforce regulations in buildings where landlords had refused to fix pipe issues. 
In Peabody, several patients had to be moved from Kindred Hospital after a water leak. In Hanover, a water main break impacted traffic.