SENECA — A Seneca Township High School student was admitted to the Burn Unit at Loyola Medical Center following an incident near his home late Saturday.
Brandon Myers, 17, son of Tammy Myers of Seneca, was airlifted to Loyola after an apparent explosion in a bonfire at 6445 West DuPont Road, just west of Gonnam Road, in the Morris Fire Protection District.
“It was horrible,” said Jake Hoelscher of Seneca, a friend who rolled Brandon on the ground to extinguish the flames that surged through Myers’ hair and clothing.
“There was a B-O-O-M. An explosion. I did the best I could.”
A hospital spokesman today would not confirm if Myers was still a patient, saying no information is released by Loyola on those 17 years of age and younger.
A Loyola spokesman Monday confirmed Myers was a patient in the burn unit. Citing privacy laws, however, the spokesman would not release a condition report.
Morris Fire Chief Robert Coleman said Myers suffered second and third degree burns to various parts of his body.
Coleman said the department was called at 9:49 p.m., and responded with one engine and Kurtz Ambulance.
The Seneca Fire Department and Ambulance Service was at the scene when the Morris Department arrived.
Coleman said one medic with the Morris Department rode to Morris Hospital with the Seneca ambulance to assist in treating the victim.
He said something reportedly exploded while the bonfire was burning, but did not know what it could have been.
“What they might have thrown in there,” he said. “Or, it could be something that was already in there, and heated up from the flames. Who knows?”
Coleman said the bonfire was already out when the department arrived.
He did not know if Myers was alone, or if others were with him at the time.
Sgt. Jeff Cole, spokesman with the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department, said deputies received the call at 9:52 p.m.
“They assisted Kurtz ambulance, and stood by at the scene,” he said.
Cole did not know what ignited in the fire.
Seneca Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jerry Sears said someone noted an accelerant was used to start the blaze, but he did not know if this was true.
He said a narrow lane, just west of Gonnam Road, leads back to the site of the bonfire. Four to five houses are in this area, he said.
Sears did not know if others were with Myers, as he did not go back down the lane to the scene.
He said the original call for assistance went through the Marseilles dispatch service, and rerouted to Seneca.