OXFORD, Ohio — Two boys were injured in an explosion on E. Withrow Street Tuesday night, according to Oxford police.
A Butler County dispatcher said the 911 call arrived at 7:45 p.m. and described an injury from an accident involving fireworks. Police believe the explosion was caused by a "modified pyrotechnic device" one of the boys ignited, but it's still not totally clear what happened.
Oxford officers described finding one child covered in blood. One boy's hand was blown off and he was missing some teeth, according to a police report. The explosion damaged a nearby house. Witnesses rushed to help the boys.
One of the victims was flown to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with severe injuries. The other was hospitalized at McCullough-Hyde Hospital and later driven to Cincinnati Children's.
Lt. Lara Fening said witnesses saw the boys riding their bikes in an alley before the explosion.
“That’s the last anyone saw what they were doing,” Fening said. “The next thing anyone knew was hearing an explosion and people ran to them.”
One of the boys told a nurse his bike rolled over a cardboard box and whatever was inside exploded.
"I'm hoping at some point in time, things start falling together, information starts coming in and gives us a picture of what happened," Fening said. "It's kind of disturbing not to know what happened when someone is that seriously injured."
Authorities used 3D and 2D technology Tuesday night to recreate the scene. The situation remains under investigation.
