Teenagers disfigured after boy threw 55-gallon fuel drum on beach bonfire as 40 kids partied

Eight teenagers were badly burned when a 55-gallon fuel drum was thrown onto a beach bonfire and exploded.

About 20 to 40 teens were celebrating on White Sands Beach in Kodiak, Alaska, when the drum exploded about 1am on Sunday.

Hot, burning petrol showered eight of them, causing serious second-degree burns so bad that five had to be airlifted to Anchorage.

The boy who threw the drum onto the fire was arrested and is in the custody of the Division of Juvenile Justice, but has not been charged.

Mia Vazquez, who suffered burns to 'all' of her face, arms, hands, and legs, inadvertently filmed the explosion for several terrifying seconds.

The video shows a wall of flame engulfing the field of view and another teenager trying to shield themselves from the explosion.

Mia, 16, will spend at least the next three weeks recovering at Alaska Native Medical Center alongside the four other injuried teens.

Her mother Cynthia Vazquez said she 'got the terrifying call a parent should not get', and Mia had a long recovery ahead of her. 

'My Mia went to a bonfire with some friends and was sitting around the fire with her friend,' she said.

'She was about to leave but stayed a little longer that little longer would change her world in a split of a second for many teens in Kodiak.

'One day at time seems long right now.'

Cici Canaveral, also 16, suffered second-degree burns to her hands, wrists, face, and scalp and is being treated at the hospital's pediatric burns unit.

'The road to recovery may be long, including future flights back and forth between Kodiak and Anchorage for follow-up care, as well as therapy to help regain strength and full mobility in her hands,' her father Gustavo Canaveral said.

'Cici will likely miss school for an undetermined amount of time, as she tries to adjust to this new way of life. 

'Despite this, she has been keeping her spirits up with optimism and her characteristic sense of humor.'

Kavik Wolfe, 15, has second-degree burns to his face and body and third-degree burns on his hands - injuries so severe he is in constant agony.

His grandmother, Xochitl Morris, said Kavik was traumatized by the explosion and often screamed from the pain of his burns in hospital.

He is constantly medicated to control the pain, and his family has no idea how long he will be confined to hospital.

The three teens have each raised about $10,000 to pay for their medical care and allow family to visit them in Anchorage. 

A fourth teenager, Brian Arndt, suffered 'severe burns all over his hands and body', his sister Marissa wrote on a fundraiser.

The Alaska Department of Public Safety said state troopers were still investigating the explosion and asked anyone with information to contact them.

'If anyone else was injured, that'd be information we would like to know as we work with the Division of Juvenile Justice, as they work to determine what, if any, juvenile charges they may prosecute,' it said.