In a tragic example of the limited entertainment activities on offer for Mosgiel teenagers, two young Mosgelians (as Critic likes to call them) are in induced comas after the gas bottle they were huffing from was ignited by a heater last Monday.
The two teens, aged 17 and 18, received devastating injuries, including internal burning of the airways. Fire Service East Otago assistant area commander Trevor Tilyard commented on the condition of one of the teenagers, "If he ever fully recovers, he is going to spend months and months, if not years, to recover, and the other young man is in for a long rehabilitation as well."
Neighbours of the house owned by the father of one of the boys reported hearing significant explosions and seeing flames coming from the property. The force of the explosion shattered windows, displaced the roof, and damaged a car parked outside the property.
The incident has created further debate surrounding what can be done to stop young people from “huffing” toxic substances. There have been 30 huffing-related deaths in New Zealand in the last 11 years.
Police have been unable to speak to either of the teenagers involved as a result of their critical conditions. The father of one of the boys told FairFax Media, “It is just one hour at a time, a wait-and-see game. His burns are quite serious. There will be a lot of surgery, years of it I think."
Senior Sergeant Gavin Briggs explained that “this incident highlights the extreme dangers of handling LPG and other related products. Tragically, this incident has had terrible consequences for the two young men involved.” Briggs also stressed that “the message is simple: gas is an extremely dangerous and risky substance to play around with. Don’t do it.” Critic wholehearetedly agrees, stick to weed kids.
Mosgiel: It’s a Gas
