A Kerang woman walking on a beach in Melbourne's south-east picked up a stray basketball and it exploded, leaving her with burns to her face, head and forearms.
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Arson and explosive squad detectives are investigating whether a group of men rolled the basketball towards her.
Police said the 21-year-old Kerang woman was walking at Half Moon Bay in Black Rock, with a 37-year-old Clayton man, about 10.40pm March 17.
She walked ahead of the man and found a basketball on the sand. As she went to pick it up, the ball exploded, burning her face, head and forearm.
It's believed the ball, which police found at the scene, may have had sparklers attached to it.
"Police were told a group of males had possibly rolled the ball towards the woman and then walked away," a police spokeswoman said.
Police are not sure whether the group had intended for anyone to pick up the ball, or why the group was at the beach.
The woman rushed to the water and tried to cool down. She was later taken to hospital and treated for the burns.
Anyone with information about the explosion is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
