Teens burned on Fourth of July: 'Gas and fireworks do not mix'

FLORENCE, Ore. - Garrett McCabe's singed hair and burned face tell the story.

"All you could hear was a huge explosion," said McCabe.

McCabe, his best friend, and four others were standing around a tank when one of them tossed a firework in the hole - the same hole in which the teens poured gasoline the day before.

"It just blew out like a torch full of flame, and it just hit me right in the face," said McCabe. "(My best friend) was over here leaning into it, and it got his whole body and face."

The explosion lifted them off their feet.

"It blew us all backwards," said McCabe. "Then (My best friend) was screaming. He was like, 'What's wrong with my face?' There was just skin everywhere. Horrible."

The blast ripped their clothes. Just out of bed, Garrett was wearing a blanket.

Medics drove both teens to Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence.

McCabe got lucky, but Bursaw has a long way to go: His face and hands took the brunt of the blaze. He's now recovering in a Portland burn unit.

"I feel so bad and I just hope that he gets better," said McCabe.

The teen told KVAL News he is scared, sad, shaken - and now critical of the way he and his friends chose to spend their Fourth of July

"It really makes me think about all the stupid stuff I've done, not to do it again," said McCabe. "Gas and fireworks do not mix."

McCabe said he talked to (his best friend) on the phone. While (his best friend) said he was in pain, McCabe added he was also in a good mood, even joking about how good the hospital's milkshakes were.