An 11-year-old boy's hand has been left severely injured after a boat flare ignited inside a Hastings house this afternoon.
A neighbour said they were outside fixing their shed when they heard a loud bang followed by a child screaming "My finger, my finger!"
"I went over there and asked one of them if the boy was alright and they said "No, he's blown up his finger"," they said.
When they arrived there were about four boys aged about 10 years-old at the property and smoke was pouring out of the front door, the neighbour said.
The neighbour took the injured boy, named Thomas, to their property's deck while another neighbour called an ambulance.