Three teenagers have been seriously injured in an explosion in South Auckland, sparked when one of them lit a cigarette as they were inhaling butane from a deodorant can.
St John Ambulance spokesperson Norm Ngatai said two girls aged 14 and 15 and a 17-year-old boy had been inhaling aerosol transferred into a plastic bag - a practice known as huffing - in a house in Mangere.
Read Jackson Wood’s feature on huffing and the damage it causes.
They received serious burns to their arms, face and legs, the spokesperson said.
They were treated at the scene before being taken to Middlemore Hospital, where they are all being treated in intensive care. Two were in a critical condition, Mr Ngatai said.