White Bear Lake Teenager Injured In Ice House Explosion
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A White Bear Lake teenager is recovering after an explosion inside his ice house on Friday.
Eighteen-year-old Macen Ellering's face and hands were badly burned in the accident.
Macen Ellering's mother, Felicia Ellering told WCCO she is having a hard time watching her son go through this experience.
The family talked to WCCO from Macen Ellering's hospital room inside the Burn Unit of Regions Hospital on Sunday afternoon.
Macen Ellering suffered second and third degree burns and will be released from the hospital Monday, according to his family.
"Your heart just aches," Felicia Ellering said. "I am having a harder time with this than he is."
Macen Ellering said he was waiting in his driveway Friday morning for a friend to pick him up from school when he decided to warm up inside his ice shack, which was sitting in the driveway.
Macen Ellering said he won the ice shack two years ago in a raffle.
"I went outside turn on the propane, came back and turned on the furnace, and once that furnace ignited the whole shack on the inside went up in flames," Macen Ellering said.
Macen Ellering's step-father Wade Stuemke rushed him to the hospital.
"You have to keep a happy mentality," Macen Ellering said. "I can't get mad that I survived."
His amazing attitude gives his mother strength.
"I thank God he is still here and that he survived that explosion," Felicia Ellering said.
The Ellering's say the doctors told Macen Ellering he will have to take extra care to protect his skin with sunblock for the rest of his life, but he should heal pretty well over the next year and regain his natural skin color.
Macen Ellering, who will graduate this year from White Bear Lake High School, plans to go back to school in a couple of weeks. He plans to one day study music production.
There is a Go Fund Me page set up to help with treatments.
The family said it doesn't understand why the ice shack ignited.
They said they had the ice shack serviced for furnace problems last month and will ask the local fire department to inspect what happened Monday morning.
