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A teenager lost four fingers and a thumb last night when fireworks went off in his hand.
The Whangarei 17-year-old had tied a bunch of fireworks together in a clump and set them off while holding them.
St John ambulance executive Charlie Bougher said the incident happened about 9pm at a house on Corks Rd in the Whangarei suburb of Tikipunga.
The Northland Electricity rescue helicopter flew the teenager to Auckland last night for surgery. He was in a serious condition. It was not clear whether he would lose his whole hand.