Powered by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Web Search by YAHOO!
 

Updated: 11:03 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, 2013 | Posted: 10:53 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, 2013

Teen set on fire expected to fully recover

Related

Teen set on fire expected to fully recover photo
A Chapel Hill High School student was caught on fire Thursday night during a science demonstration at the school. (Photo: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
Teen set on fire expected to fully recover photo
Student Will Wheeler got a fire blanket from a teacher to helped extinguish the flames on a classmate at Chapel Hill High School. (Photo: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)

By Alexis Stevens

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Douglas County high school senior is expected to make a full recovery after catching on fire during a chemistry demonstration. And she has two teachers and a classmate to thank.

The accident happened Thursday night during an Advanced Placement Open House at Chapel Hill High School, Gordon Pritz, school system superintendent, said in an emailed statement.

“One group of students, under the supervision of their teachers, was demonstrating the identifying of chemicals by the color of their flame when burning,” Pritz said. “During this process, a flammable liquid dispensed from the container unexpectedly fast and ignited, involving a 12th grade female student and catching her on fire.”

A teacher standing nearby got the student to the ground and attempted to extinguish the flames, the school system said. Another teacher ran approximately 30 feet away, grabbed a fire blanket and handed it to a male student, who ran to place the blanket on the girl.

The burned student, whose name was not released, was transported by ambulance to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she is being treated for burns covering 25 percent of her body. She is expected to make a full recovery.

On Friday, Major Tommy Wheeler with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said his son, Will, was the male student who grabbed the fire blanket to help extinguish the flames.

“You don’t often get a chance to say, ‘Hey, look what my kid did,’ when he really did something,” Tommy Wheeler told Channel 2 Action News.

Surveillance cameras inside the school captured images of the incident.

More News

 

Today on MyAJC.com

Botanical Garden’s ‘scarecrows’ are stuffed with silliness

Botanical Garden’s ‘scarecrows’ are stuffed with silliness

Native Americans are said to have created the first scarecrows on these shores to protect their corn crops from the scavenging black birds.

Paul Howard

DA’s spending of federal forfeiture money in question

Finances of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office were in such chaos in recent years that even its most basic bills went unpaid.

Comments  (8)  

myajc logo 300x225

New 24-hour Digital Pass: Sample all of MyAJC.com for 99 cents

With a 24-hour digital pass, you can enjoy full versions of premium articles, news updates and access to the AJC online archives.