YouTube firecracker severely burns German teen
December 29, 2018
An 18-year-old suffered life-threatening burns and another was slightly injured while tampering with a self-made explosive device near Bremen, German police said.
Three youths from the small northern town of Verden apparently tried to make a firecracker in a barn by following a YouTube tutorial. Police said they used household items, including a kitchen sieve and a scale.
Read more: German cities urged to ban polluting fireworks at New Year
The group also used "yet-undetermined explosive materials" for the device. All three of them were gathered in the barn when the device detonated on Thursday evening, police said.
The explosion started a fire, prompting a major deployment of firefighters to the scene.
"Apparently, tampering with the [explosive] substances led to a detonation, which caused one of the 18-year-olds to suffer life-threatening burns," police said in a statement. The teen suffered burns to around 60 percent of his skin and remains in the hospital, according to the dpa news agency.
One of his two friends sustained light injuries.
After the firefighters extinguished the barn fire, police deployed a forensic team to gather evidence from the scene.
While people are allowed to set off fireworks on New Year's Eve in Germany, their use is strictly regulated. Owning, peddling, and detonating unapproved fireworks is punishable by up to three years in prison or by a fine of up to €50,000 ($57,200).
Making your own firecrackers, even those based on internet tutorials, is also illegal in Germany. Such objects are considered "explosive devices" and subject to laws on explosives and weapons.