In a nondescript warehouse in North Texas, Mike Wagner houses thousands of explosives.
"It's a hidden secret," Wagner said. "Nobody knows where it is and we like it that way."
His explosives are commercial-grade fireworks. Wagner puts on firework shows all over the country, hence the nickname, "Pyro Doctor."
He's enjoyed fireworks since he was a kid.
"I'd go buy my own," he recalled. "I'd go buy the consumer stuff and spend my $100 that I got for my allowance or whatever. Never would I have dreamed of doing this for a living."
The real fun started 12 years ago when Wagner put on shows for his neighbors in rural Tarrant County.
"We used to go buy trailer loads of consumer fireworks and set them off on trailers for hours," he said. "Once they knew Mike was having a fireworks show, it was like, 'Oh yeah, we gotta go see this.'"
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It was much simpler back then.
"Yep, 'Here, hold my beer and watch this,'" he joked. "That's pretty much how it got started."
Now everything is controlled digitally, for safety.
"It's not lose a finger, it's lose your life," Wagner said.
For big shows, like the ones at Panther Island Pavilion, they set up hours in advance.
And after the sun sets, it's go time.
"The bigger, the louder, the better," Wagner added.
The crowds have grown since his early shows, but the pay off is still the same.
"The big screams at the end, that's what we do it for," Wagner said.
