ORLANDO, Fla. -- About 40 people were injured at Orlando's WrestleMania event Sunday when fireworks and a flaming wire fell into the crowd of 70,000, sending piles of people scrambling for safety.

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"The smoke was coming out and it looked like a war zone," crowd member Bryan Bindman said.

"It was like a war was going off," John Voigt. "I grabbed (my sons) and covered them with my shirt and protected their heads and I was yelling for my other son. I couldn't find them there was so much smoke."

An assistant fire chief told Local 6 that at least one wire used for fireworks snapped during WrestleMania's finale and sent the burning wire and fireworks across the Citrus Bowl Stadium.

Fireworks then fell into the crowd.

"Instead of going up they just spiraled into the stands," Bindman said. "There were fireworks just sputtering and rolling around on the stands and people were just scattering all over the place."

"We were right under the rafters near the suites and it came right across our section -- maybe 20 feet ahead of us," fan Bill Kallus said. "We were thinking, 'Is this part of the show or is this an accident?"

Three people were taken to a hospital but their injuries were not considered serious.

WWE officials said they are investigating the incident and said it has never happened before.

The event was expected to bring at least $25 million into the local economy.