3 TEENS 'HUFFING' IN CAR SUFFER BURNS, POLICE SAY

Wausau - Three teenagers suffered burns when one lighted a cigarette,
igniting the aerosol can of air freshener they had been "huffing" in a car
in an attempt to get high, Wausau police said Saturday.

The 15-year-old girl who lighted the cigarette was critically injured and
taken to the University of Wisconsin-Madison burn center.

She was in a car at Marathon Park with a 16-year-old girl and an
18-year-old woman when the incident happened Friday night, police Lt. Mark
Pankow said. The explosion was reported by a parks employee about 9 p.m.
Friday.

The three were taken by ambulance to Community Health Care Wausau Hospital.
The 15-year-old was transported to Madison, and the other two were treated
for their injuries and released, nursing supervisor Esther White said
Saturday night.

Pankow said the car's windows were blown out and its frame was damaged by
the explosion. He said he was unsure whether anyone would be charged.

According to police reports, the teens were inhaling the fumes from the
aerosol spray to get high, and they suffered burns to the arms and faces.

The 18-year-old said they were driving around Wausau, spraying and sniffing
the air freshener, and rainfall prompted them to go to the park, where they
continued the activity until the explosion occurred, according to police.

The teens hid the cans and other paraphernalia in a garbage bin, but
officers found a receipt for the air freshener and one can under a car
seat, police said.