Eight teenagers were severely burned when a 55-gallon fuel can was thrown into a beach bonfire and exploded.
Between 20 and 40 teenagers were celebrating at White Sands Beach in Kodiak, Alaska, when the drum exploded around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Hot, burning gasoline sprayed eight of them, causing severe second-degree burns, so bad that five had to be flown to Anchorage.
The boy who threw the drum into the fire was arrested and is in the custody of the Division of Juvenile Justice, but has not been charged. He has not been identified.
Mía Vázquez, 16, suffered burns to her “entire” face, arms, hands and legs when a 55-gallon fuel can was thrown into a beach bonfire and exploded.
Mia, 16, will spend at least the next three weeks recovering at the Alaska Native Medical Center along with the four other injured teens.
Mía Vázquez, who suffered burns to her face, arms, hands and legs, inadvertently filmed the explosion for several terrifying seconds.
The video shows a wall of flames engulfing the field of vision and another teenager trying to protect himself from the explosion.
Mia, 16, will spend at least the next three weeks recovering at the Alaska Native Medical Center along with the four other injured teens.
Her mother, Cynthia Vazquez, said she “received the scary call that a parent should not receive” and that Mia had a long recovery ahead of her.
“My Mia went to a bonfire with some friends and was sitting around the fire with her friend,” he said.
“He was about to leave but he stayed a little longer, that little bit more would change their world in a split second for many teenagers in Kodiak.
“One day at a time seems long now.”
Cici Cañaveral, 16 (right), suffered second-degree burns to her hands, wrists, face and scalp and is being treated in the hospital’s pediatric burn unit.
Kavik Wolfe, 15, (pictured with his grandmother Xochitl Morris and younger brother) has second-degree burns on his face and body and third-degree burns on his hands.
Kavik’s injuries are so severe that he is in constant agony and is constantly medicated to control the pain.
Cici Cañaveral, also 16, suffered second-degree burns to her hands, wrists, face and scalp and is being treated in the hospital’s pediatric burn unit.
“The road to recovery may be long, including future round-trip flights between Kodiak and Anchorage for follow-up care, as well as therapy to help her regain full strength and mobility in her hands,” said her father, Gustavo. Reedbed.
‘Cici will likely miss school for an undetermined period of time, as she tries to adjust to this new way of life.
“Despite this, she keeps her spirits high with her optimism and characteristic sense of humor.”
Kavik Wolfe, 15, has second-degree burns on his face and body and third-degree burns on his hands, injuries so severe that he is in constant agony.
His grandmother, Xochitl Morris, said Kavik was traumatized by the explosion and often screamed from the pain of his burns in the hospital.
He is constantly medicated to control the pain and his family has no idea how long he will be in the hospital.
A fourth teenager, Brian Arndt, suffered “severe burns to his entire hands and body.”
Brian with his older brother Joshua before the explosion.
The three teens have each raised about $10,000 to pay for their medical care and allow family members to visit them in Anchorage.
A fourth teenager, Brian Arndt, suffered “severe burns all over his hands and body,” his sister Marissa wrote in a fundraising.
The Alaska Department of Public Safety said state police were still investigating the explosion and asked anyone with information to contact them.
“If anyone else was injured, that would be information we would like to know as we work with the Division of Juvenile Justice, as they work to determine what, if any, juvenile charges they can pursue,” he said.
