Three teenagers following a smoke bomb recipe they found on the internet caused an explosion in their Tauranga rental home's kitchen.
Tauranga Fire Brigade senior station officer Len Sabin said the "very sheepish" trio, aged in their late teens, had been planning to use smoke bombs
during paintball "wars" and were testing the recipe when things went wrong late yesterday.
The explosion from the concoction of household chemicals set the kitchen on fire, badly damaging the floor, bench and cupboards in the Grace Rd home
about 5.15pm.
"They made a horrible mess of the kitchen, it all flashed up and blew up on them," Mr Sabin said.
He described the bomb as similar to something farmers would use to blow rotten tree stumps out of the ground.
Mr Sabin said he was sure the embarrassed boys regretted the bad decision after asking them at the scene "now what have we learned from this".
He explained the potential for serious injury or death.
When firefighters arrived the boys had managed to put the fire out by filling pots and pans from the kitchen sink and throwing water on the flames.
When the Bay of Plenty Times went to the address this morning it appeared they had learned their lesson, with one tenant describing their actions as
"young silliness" but refusing to comment any further.
Mr Sabin said it was lucky the boys had mixed the bomb in a plastic container, rather than glass.
"They would have had fragments of glass right though them."
He gave them credit for having the "nous" to call 111 when the explosion happened.
Meanwhile, neighbors saved the day for a Gloucester Rd resident who fell asleep while frying sausages on the stove about 8.30 last night.
Mount Maunganui Fire Brigade station officer Roger Pickett said the man's neighbours saw the smoke and entered the smoke-logged house, moving the
burning pan from the stove to the sink and putting the fire out.
Mr Pickett said the homeowner, who was believed to live alone, told firefighters he had been on nightshift the night before.
He said the man lived among a group of houses down a long driveway where he was lucky neighbors kept an eye out for each other.
Firefighters used a fan to ventilate the man's home.
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The fire fighters described the bomb as similar to something farmers would use to blow rotten tree stumps out of the ground. Did they use NH4NO3 and
got it to go bang? Or are they just stupid and thought it was a detonating bomb from KNO3.
Anyway there was once a time where I was a pre-pubescent child who used to mix KNO3/Sugar on the kitchen stove **shudders** Thankfully I was smart
enough not to have an ignition.
Moral of the story. FFS don't directly melt the chemicals, heat them with water outside on an electronic hotplate.
hissingnoise - 3-5-2011 at 05:47
Quote:
FFS don't directly melt the chemicals, heat them with water outside on an electronic hotplate.
I happen to know one stupid adult to whom that advice might have been useful . . .
What fucking scholars mixing KNO3/Sugar in an open flame in a garage in front of two nice cars and then testing the spoon a few centimeters from the
big mix. The WiZard is In - 4-5-2011 at 15:51
What fucking scholars mixing KNO3/Sugar in an open flame in a garage in front of two nice cars and then testing the spoon a few centimeters from the
big mix.
The same ones who in the past melted zink and sulphur on their
kitchen stove to make rocket engines.NurdRage - 5-5-2011 at 07:35
I smell a darwin award nominee.
If this is my competition I have NOTHING to worry about.#maverick# - 5-5-2011 at 08:53
What fucking
scholars mixing KNO3/Sugar in an open flame in a garage in front of
two nice cars and then testing the spoon a few centimeters from the
big mix.
There was a bunch of years ago a young experimenter who
having trouble getting up in the AM — wired his contraption and
himself to the outlet. He never/ever had trouble getting up in the
morning ...... again. mewrox99 - 6-5-2011 at 01:11
