Teens burnt in Mosgiel explosion named

Jamie Jury
Jamie Jury
Police have named two teenagers who were seriously burnt as a result of a gas explosion at a Mosgiel house yesterday.

They are Brendon McLeod (17) and Jamie Jury (18), both of Mosgiel.

Mr McLeod has today been transferred to the burn centre at Middlemore Hospital, in Auckland, and Mr Jury remains in Dunedin Hospital's intensive care unit.

Both remain in a critical condition.

Fire investigators have determined a gas heater sparked explosions in a house where two teenagers were allegedly "huffing" yesterday.

The two teenagers, each believed to be sniffing from 9kg LPG bottles, were engulfed by flames when gas in the room became so condensed it was ignited by the heater.

The explosion at the home in Mosgiel blasted a candlestick across the road and through the window of a parked car.

Fire Service East Otago assistant area commander Trevor Tilyard said this morning there were two explosions: first the two cylinders being used for huffing and then the cylinder attached to the free-standing gas heater.

The first blast knocked over the cylinder fuelling the heater, which started "pumping out a huge fire in that room", Mr Tilyard said.

Kate Nicol said she was at working when she heard an explosion and rushed outside to see the brick house on fire and "a man on fire screaming".

"[He was] on the ground still burning and smouldering, and there was another one from the house yelling 'help me, help me, I need some warm water'."

The third gas bottle exploded about three or four minutes later.

"The cylinder exploded and propelled into the upper reaches of the room and was embedded in the wall," Mr Tilyard said.

He said the explosion happened just as firefighters were entering the house, though none were injured.

Walls were displaced and the part of the roof blown off in the explosions.

Mr Tilyard said the windows were blown out and glass spread as far as the driveway of a house across the road.

A Christchurch fireman and his wife, who are holidaying near Dunedin, were driving past when the explosion happened.

Mr Tilyard said the fireman and a passer-by probably saved a life by performing first aid so quickly.

The house is cordoned off as a crime scene today.

Police have yet to speak to the two men because of the seriousness of their condition.

They have also not spoken to a third person seen leaving the house at the time of the explosion, but say that person was likely to have been a friend of the pair.

- Kieran Campbell, APNZ

 

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