Teen in acid burn accident

The boy's burns are believed to be from sulphuric acid. Photo / File

A teenager is in hospital with suspected acid burns after a science experiment gone wrong.

Emergency staff said the boy, 13, had acid burns believed to be from sulphuric acid.

Police, ambulance and fire were called to a Crawford Rd home in Kilbirnie about midday yesterday.

Central police communications acting shift manager Mark Oliver said: "The young male was possibly doing some kind of science experiment that has gone pear-shaped."

He said sulphuric acid was "not flash" if it got on to your skin.

He said police were called to assist fire and ambulance with crowd control.

Ambulance communications team manager David Ross confirmed a boy in his early teens had been taken in a serious condition to Hutt Hospital.

Shift manager for central fire communications Murray Dunbar said fire engines attended the incident.

One fire engine specialising in hazardous materials was also reported to have been called.

Crawford Rd resident Chris McGregor said he was told a bucket of chemicals had been thrown down the bank from a grass clearing.