ROCHESTER, Wash. -- This is the second year in a row that a cannon has exploded at a July 4 celebration in Thurston County, critically injuring onlookers.

Fire crews said Friday night several dozen people were gathered a vacant lot in Rochester’s Applegate subdivision to watch fireworks. A homeowner told KIRO 7 that a friend brought a small cannon to the party, something he said the man has had for years.

Around 10:30 p.m. when the cannon was lit, neighbors said they knew it was no ordinary firecracker.

"We heard something, yes. I don't know if that was it. It was either that or an M-80," said neighbor Gene Larson.

Three people were injured when the cannon exploded, sending shrapnel more than 100 feet into the crowd.

The 33-year-old wife of the homeowner was the most seriously injured. Her husband said she was sitting in their driveway, more than 80 feet from the cannon when she was hit. She’s currently in critical condition with wounds to her legs and abdomen, her husband said.

The other victims were an 11-year-old boy and a man who was in his 30s. The boy was taken to Harborview Medical Center with "severe lacerations" to his leg and abdomen, said Thurston County’s Sheriff's Sgt. Cheryl Stines.

Some of the shrapnel also hit nearby homes. Neighbors said at one home it even pierced the siding of this house and lodged in a closet.

Last year, an 8-year-old boy, Devon Vyborny, who lived in the Littlerock area of Thurston County, was killed when a similar cannon exploded during a family party.