Ocean Grove twins burnt in home gas blast

SECOND-DEGREE BURNS: Paramedics take seven-year-old twins from Ocean Grove to hospital. Photo: ANETA ALFORD

TWO sisters from Ocean Grove were rushed to Geelong Hospital last night suffering serious burns after a barbeque gas bottle accident at home.

The seven-year-old twins suffered second-degree burns to 30 per cent of their bodies.

The accident happened when gas escaped from the bottle and was ignited by the pilot light on a nearby hot water service.

A Rural Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman said the girls were on standby to be transferred to The Alfred hospital last night if their conditions worsened.
Region 7 CFA duty officer Mick McGuiness said local fire crews were called to the Grubb Rd address about 6pm.

"When the gas cock has been cracked, the bottle has expelled some gas from the cylinder which was right next to a hot water service," Mr McGuiness said.

"The pilot light on the service has ignited the gas and caused a flash fire, which has then hit the two girls who were standing nearby."

Mr McGuiness said the occupants of the house then reacted quickly by putting the girls in the neighbours' pool.

The man who opened the bottle escaped without any injuries.

Mr McGuiness said the incident served as a warning to other people looking to hold a barbeque this summer.

"If people are unsure of how full their gas bottle is they need to seek professional advice before they hurt someone," he said.

"They can either weigh the bottle when it's full and when it's empty so they have an indication of where it is at, or they can take it to a service station and get the bottle replaced."

The incident followed another explosion in Wood St, South Geelong, when a flammable material was thrown onto an open fire resulting in fire crews attending the scene about 5pm.

No one was injured in the incident and the fire was brought under control before fire crews arrived.

Mr McGuiness said people needed to be extra careful when dealing with flammable materials.

"Especially during barbeque season people need to check that all their fittings are secure and the pipes and hoses and in good shape," he said.

"People really need to be careful so we can avoid incidents like this."

(Edit:Ruby)