‘Kids were on fire.’ Bonfire explosion injures dozens, Wisconsin officials say

Up to 40 people were injured, including teenagers, when a bonfire exploded during a gathering in Wisconsin, officials say.

The bonfire was deemed “out of control” after accelerant was thrown on it during the Friday, Oct. 14, gathering in Maple Grove near Pulaski, according to the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office. The accelerant is believed to be a “55-gallon drum of a diesel and regular gasoline mix,” investigators told WBAY.

“These kids were on fire,” said Jen Ziech, whose nephew was one of the injured victims, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “There was kids helping kids, rolling them and patting them down, trying to do whatever they could.”

Timothy Trinh, whose son suffered burns on his leg as he tried to get the fire out, said his son called it “the worst thing he’d ever seen in his life,” the Press-Gazette reported.

Police were only made aware of the incident when several people began showing up at Green Bay-area hospitals with ”serious burns,” according to the sheriff’s office.

Lt. Chris Madle of the sheriff’s office said “no one called 911” during the incident, according to WBAY.

“We don’t know exactly why, but everyone self-transported to the hospital,” Madle told the news outlet. “At least Green Bay was smart enough to give us a call and say, ‘Hey, you might want to look into this.’ So, that’s how we got involved.”

Deputies know of at least 17 victims from the explosion but believe there are dozens more.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate the explosion and determine how many victims there were. Injuries are as severe as “critical,” while some people have been released from the hospital.

Some of the victims are students in the Pulaski Community School District, Superintendent Allison Space said in a statement.

“Immediately after our school district was made aware of the bonfire incident that occurred in our community, we began working to provide support for the students, families and staff affected by this tragic event,” Space said Monday.

Considered a “close knit community,” Pulaski has a population of about 3,500. It is about 20 miles northwest of Green Bay.

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