A fire extinguisher used in a prank which saw a 20-year-old airlifted to hospital could cause damage in a number of ways, says Wanganui fire Senior Station Officer Gary Wilson. On Sunday the Taihape man was left struggling for breath after a fire extinguisher went off in his face.
St John paramedics rushed him to the Taihape airfield and the Palmerston North rescue helicopter flew him to Wanganui Hospital.
Mr Wilson said while he couldn't say exactly what caused the breathing difficulties without knowing what type of extinguisher was used, dry powder could have got into the man's nose and down his throat.
"That's designed to smother a fire, it's quite dense powder."
Another possibility was that carbon dioxide gas, suffocated the man by "displacing" the oxygen.