WATCH: (Scroll Down For Video) A chemistry teacher injured herself and five students after an experiment caused a major explosion.
The science teacher was showing students how different chemicals emit different colors when set alight but the demonstration backfired when a ‘splash of fire’ hit students.
Students described scenes of chaos as one pupil’s hair caught fire and the teacher ran down a corridor with her shirt covered in flames.
The chemistry teacher and five students were treated for burns, with two taken to hospital in a serious condition.
The experiment on Friday morning involved the teacher pouring flammable liquid onto a table before lighting it with a Bunsen burner, students said.
She then added chemicals such as copper to show the different color flames produced, the Washington Post reported.
Two students were airlifted to hospital in a critical condition but are now recovering. The others suffered minor injuries.
The fire triggered the classroom’s sprinklers, putting the flames out before the emergency services arrived. The blaze caused an estimated $7,500 damage.
The fire triggered the classroom’s sprinklers, putting the flames out before the emergency services arrived. The blaze caused an estimated $7,500 damage.
The rest of the school was evacuated to the football field and children were eventually sent home.
Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools Karen Garza said she was ‘deeply saddened’ by the incident.
‘We are all deeply concerned about what happened today. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims and their families,’ she said.
Read More: 6 injured in chemistry classroom fire at Woodson High in Fairfax
