A teenager has been charged with triggering triggered a massive bonfire explosion that injured more than a dozen people, according to court documents.
Sam Armstrong, 18, had been attending a bonfire in Wisconsin, US, with a group of teens on October 14 when he allegedly threw a barrel containing a petrol-diesel mix into the burning fire, WLUK-TV reported. The resulting explosion burned at least 17 of the 60 people in attendance at the function, according to the criminal complaint.
Armstrong, who was 17 at the time of the incident, would later explain to local authorities that he didn't know that his actions would cause the explosion and injure the others at the scene. He also admitted to investigators that he had been drinking beer on that night.
Sam Armstrong was 17 at the time of the incident and allegedly told investigators he didn't know the explosion would happen (AFP via Getty Images)On Thursday, prosecutors in Shawano County charged the 18-year-old with 13 counts of injury by negligent handling of explosives or fire. Armstrong waived his preliminary hearing and a judge has set his signature bond at $100,000. He is set to appear next in court on September 13 for an arraignment.
Armstrong is the second person to be charged in connection to the October incident. A 16-year-old said to have helped Armstrong with the barrel was ordered to perform community service in February.
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Police responded to a home on Cedar Drive after getting reports of multiple teens being admitted to a local explosion following the explosion, the criminal complaint states.
The teen would explain to authorities that he had been asking someone who lives at the home "all night to throw the barrel in the fire and finally at approximately 10:50 pm, (that person) told him to 'just do it.'"
“After the barrel was thrown onto the fire, it was approximately half a second and the fire began shooting out. (Armstrong) indicated he backed away from the fire-pit and then went over to put the fire out that was burning VICTIM #4,” the complaint further reads.
Brandon Brzeckowski, one of the teens burned at the explosion, thinks that it is "fair" that Armstrong received all of the charges. "Everyone is so young," he added.
The teen had to have several surgeries to treat the 38 per cent of burns on his body. He hopes to get a job in construction soon. "I'm feeling good, kind of getting back to my normal self I would say," said Brzeczkowski.
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