Xander, 3, and Tanner, 1, were playing together at home when they were knocked off their feet by the explosion (Picture: GoFundMe)
Two young brothers were involved in a horrific accident which saw their faces, hands and chests burned after a bonfire explosion.
Xander, 3, and Tanner, 1, were playing together in Lansfield, Victoria, Australia last Friday while at home.
The children had been taught to behave sensibly around fire but unfortunately a cardboard box was thrown onto the flames without checking what was inside, MailOnline reports.
A full aerosol can was hidden inside which exploded and knocked the mum and boys off their feet.
Carli Mathiesen, the aunt of the two brothers, said: ‘The boys since suffering the injuries have undergone multiple surgeries but Xander has suffered even more serious injuries than this brother.
‘Xander is going to need grafting to his face and while he is stable at the moment we are expecting him to be knocked out again very soon because the pain and shock to his body and system is so significant that he is in so much pain.
‘Tanner also has similar injuries but not to the same extent. He has first to second degree-burns on his upper body and face and both of the children will need more grafting.’
After the horrifying incident the boys were airlifted to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
Xander, 3, is the most severely injured out of the brothers (Picture: GoFundMe)
Tanner, just 1, will also need skin grafts (Picture: GoFundMe)
Xander was immediately put on a ventilator and taken straight to intensive care, and Tanner was admitted to undergo treatment.
The children will need skin grafts on their face and hands, where healthy skins will be skin taken from their thighs to cover their injuries and attempt to repair the skin.
Xander turned three today and medics are preparing to wake him up for the first time after the accident.
Carli said her heart is ‘broken’ after what happened.
She said: ‘They are such beautiful country kids who love the outdoors and all things nature and animals.
‘My heart breaks for them and I know that they are at least a month or two away from being able to go home.’
The brothers pictured together before the accident (Picture: GoFundMe)
They are likely to remain in hospital for some time (Picture: GoFundMe)
Xander turned three today and medics are preparing to wake him up for the first time after the accident (Picture: GoFundMe)
The family are heartbroken after what happened (Picture: GoFundMe)
She has set up a fundraiser to raise money for the family to help with the extra costs they now face, including for medication, treatment and therapy.
‘The parents are doing okay but are just in such a state of shock and crisis mode. All of us are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of community support but the financial stress we are now under is immense,’ Carli added.
‘There will be a long road ahead especially for the boys’ mental and physical rehabilitation.
‘At the moment the parents need to be with their children which means the dad is unable to earn money so we really need the community’s support.
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‘The boys will need so much financial support to pay for things such as speech pathology and compression stockings for their grafts on the face, it will be very expensive.’
She said the boys will need help learning to become ‘resilient’ before they start school with visible injuries on their faces.
‘Children can be cruel and the oldest one Xander is only a couple of years away from starting school so it is important that the family are resilient and show him how he can be resilient as well,’ she added.
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