Gas bottle accident leaves man badly burned

Photo / Duncan Brown

A 28-year-old man badly burned in a gas bottle incident at the weekend is now in a stable condition.

The Hastings-based Lowe Corporation rescue helicopter was called to a rural property in Kotemaori, a settlement north of Hastings, about 10.15am yesterday.

He was flown to Hawkes Bay Regional Hospital in a serious condition and later taken to Hutt Hospital.

In another incident, a person who suffered serious burns in a bonfire incident in Hamilton last night was in critical condition in Waikato Hospital today.

The person suffered burns to the face and torso.A neighbour said he heard a lot of noise coming from the home late last night, including what sounded like someone banging a drum.He said it sounded like the young occupants were having a party.

A St John spokesman said an ambulance was called to the Insoll Ave blaze about 10.20pm.

One patient was taken to Waikato Hospital, where a spokeswoman confirmed they remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Northern Fire Service spokesman Colin Underdown said two fire trucks rushed to the scene to assist ambulance officers, after receiving a call about the person's burns.

He said the fire was outside the house and believed to be a bonfire, but had been put out by the occupants.

"There was a person removed from [the] scene by ambulance," he said.

"We just got a call to someone with burns so we just sent two trucks thinking it [might be] a house fire but when we got there we got stood down. I think it was a bonfire."