Brisbane man suffers serious burns as bonfire explodes

Print

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 10:43p.m.

Dousing the pile of wood with a full fuel can would prove life threatening

Dousing the pile of wood with a full fuel can would prove life threatening

By Samantha Hayes

A 25-year-old business man was badly injured at the weekend when a fireball exploded as he was pouring petrol on a backyard bonfire.

He suffered burns to 40 percent of his body and his friend caught the whole ordeal on camera.

Warning: The video attached to this story contains distressing images

The backyard burn off was supposed to save Liam Swanson and his mates trip to the rubbish dump.

In the video a friend can be heard saying "this is not really smart, aye".

It wasn't smart and dousing the pile of wood with a full fuel can would prove life threatening.

Swanson was holding the petrol can less than a metre away when it exploded and was engulfed in a fire ball. A distressed friend can be heard calling for the hose.

Swanson suffered burns to his arms legs, stomach and airway.

"Upon our arrival we found [Swanson] to have approximately 40 percent burns to his body," a police spokesman said..

Remarkably, Jake Simpson - seen shirtless in the video - escaped uninjured.

"He ran straight past me, on fire," Jake says.

Swanson is now in a stable condition in Royal Brisbane Hospital.

Police are investigating.

3 News

Become a fan of 3 News on Facebook and on Twitter.

Post a Comment

Before commenting, please take the time to read our moderation guide


(Won't be published)



Comments