Butane blast hurts 8 at school

One person was seriously injured and seven others received minor injuries after a butane canister exploded during a barbecue at a South Auckland school yesterday.

De La Salle College principal Myles Hogarty said the explosion took place at morning interval at the Ma¯ngere East school and “involved a portable gas cooker exploding while Year 10 and 11 boys were running a sausage sizzle as part of their Young Enterprise Studies”.

“Three boys received burns to their hair, two staff members supervising the event also received minor burns,” he said.

The injured were treated at the scene by St John medics and the three students and two staff members were taken to Middlemore Hospital for treatment and observation, Hogarty said.

Two of the students had received burns to the side of their face. Hogarty said the third student’s injuries were not as severe. The staff members had “singed hair”.

“We’re not sure if it was a faulty gas cylinder or a faulty mechanism on the cooker, but that’s where the explosion occurred,” he said.

Counties Manukau police Sergeant Ollie Nation said police received a report of a butane canister exploding at De La Salle College about 11.50am.

De La Salle College is an integrated Catholic secondary boys’ school.