Three women are dead and more than two-dozen people are wounded after a major illegal fireworks explosion at a home in Hawaii.

The explosion happened Wednesday morning in Honolulu, one minute into the new year. Governor Josh Green says a “cake bomb” containing multiple aerial fireworks tipped over and fired explosives into the home’s carport. That then ignited a huge stockpile of other fireworks.

The surviving victims, 23 adults and three children, are in serious to critical condition. Green and other leaders used the words “horrific,” “gruesome,” and “war zone” when they described the scene while speaking at a news conference on Wednesday.