Explosive party raises serious concerns

Based on the personal accounts of several young men and women who were present when a bonfire party turned into a firestorm of flaming gasoline, the events of that frigid night a week ago were not only frightening, but potentially deadly.

As it is, one victim faces surgery for severe burns on her legs. Thirteen others were burned seriously enough to warrant medical treatment.

For nearly a week, investigators were unable to determine who was responsible for tossing a can of gasoline into a roaring bonfire while as many as 100 young people stood around in single-digit temperatures at a rural home just outside the Cape Girardeau city limits and just north of the Jaycees Municipal Golf Course. Many of the party attendees were from Jackson and Oak Ridge.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department investigators were hampered somewhat as they probed the aftermath of the explosion that resulted when a five-gallon gas can was tossed into the fire. Many of those at the party were too young to legally be drinking the alcoholic beverages that were available.

But two things made it easier for some of the young guests to talk to investigators: The sheriff's department made it clear that it was more interested in finding out who was responsible for the explosion than handing out a hundred tickets for underage drinking, and many of the victims of the explosion's fiery aftermath angered enough by what happened that they became intent on learning who among them could have been so stupid.

It is to the credit of the sheriff's department and cooperative witnesses that a 22-year-old suspect has been charged with 14 counts of second-degree assault. It isn't easy for young people to provide information that gets their peers in trouble with the law. Fortunately, some of those who attended the party came to the realization that the events of that Friday night and the consequences of the explosion outweighed the pressures of peer loyalty.

There are a couple of other aspects of this scary and dangerous incident that bear examination.

First is the fact this party involving large numbers of young people where alcoholic beverages were served was not an isolated incident. Many parents and teachers have been concerned for years about such parties and the lives that are put at risk -- even though few such parties end with an explosion and burning gasoline. But too many of these parties wind up with young people who have too much alcohol in their blood getting behind the wheel of a vehicle to drive home.

Second is the fact that some parents condone these gatherings and, in some instances, are hospitable enough to provide a place to party as well as the beverages that are illegally consumed during the party. Some traditions, no matter how dangerous, seem to hold enough mystique and allure to linger long after reasonably conscientious people would have sought other ways to gather for an evening of fun and companionship.

Despite the extent of the trauma and injuries from last week's party, all the revelers can consider themselves lucky. No one died. This time.