An explosion in Honolulu caused by illegal aerial fireworks shooting into a crate with more fireworks killed three and critically injured 20, police said.

Two of the three victims of the fatal New Year's Eve fireworks explosion in Hawaii have been identified. Two of the victims who died on the scene were sisters, according to family members and media reports.

In recent years, occasions large and small — parties, Super Bowls, mixed martial arts fights, even Thanksgiving — have provided a reason for residents across Hawaii to set off illegal fireworks. Each New Year's Day,

A New Year's Eve fireworks explosion in a Honolulu -area neighborhood killed at least three people and critically injured at least 20 others, authorities said. "It looked like a war zone," said Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon K. Hao.

Drone video captures a New Year's Eve fireworks explosion that killed three people and wounded more than 20 in a Honolulu neighborhood.

In her neighborhood, the fireworks ramp up after Halloween, exploding in the middle of the night until New Year’s. Doran said she can tell if there is a big mixed martial arts fight on TV because the booms begin earlier in the day.

Honolulu released names for two of three women who died in the New Year’s Eve fireworks explosion in Salt Lake but said the identity of the third victim has not been confirmed. The women were killed and more than two dozen other people seriously injured when fireworks exploded in a garage at 4144 Keaka Drive just after midnight.