A man has suffered serious burns after falling into the main camp fire at New Years LGBTI camping hot-spot Vinegar Hill. Photo: Calum Bennachie The incident took place on New Year’s Eve and it is believed a 27-year-old Otaki man, who is part of the GLBTI community, tripped and fell into a large bonfire. Manawatu Area Commander, Inspector Sarah Stewart, says: “The Vinegar Hill campground is spread over two different sites. One section has a long established and well run New Year event which caused no problems for us. “It was the small group of intoxicated people in the second site who made it difficult for family groups camping alongside them to enjoy what should have been a lovely night.” Police were called to Vinegar Hill four separate times on New Year’s Eve to deal with “alcohol fuelled antics” in the second campsite including fighting and assault. *This article has been updated as more information regarding the burn victim's identity has come in.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 5th January 2016 - 10:07am