From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Colorado: Chemistry lab fire at Strive Prep school sends 4 students to hospital with burn injuries
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 20:13:37 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 0EA0B618-EEED-4EB1-9B61-036C71970A1D**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org


DENVER - A chemistry teacher is on paid leave after four students were injured when an experiment went wrong at the Strive Prep School on the Lalo Delgado campus.

"We are reviewing all of the safety policies and protocols as they relate to the science lab," said school spokeswoman Lindsay Neil. "We've suspended all science lab activity in our network of schools."

The teacher was identified as first-year teacher Daniel Powell.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board tells 7NEWS: "The CSB will be sending two investigators over to the scene of the accident -- they should arrive on scene very shortly."

Denver Fire spokesman Mark Watson said the students suffered burn injuries, and although he could not describe their conditions, he said any burn injury to the face or mouth area should be considered serious.

Denver Health said three students were treated and released and the fourth had been transported to University Hospital because of the severity of his burns.

Strive Prep School is a Denver Public Schools charter school located at 3201 West Arizona Avenue. The Denver Fire Department received the call about the fire at 7:54 a.m.

A 10th grade student, David Mathis, was in the classroom and told 7NEWS that the chemistry teacher was lighting methanol when it exploded. He said the fire extended up to the ceiling and out towards the back wall of the classroom, and all of the students who were hurt were sitting in the back of the room.

"I only saw one of the students, but his skin was peeling off, and it looked like at least second-degree burns all over," said Mathis. "We were all just chaotic. We were trying to figure out what just happened. We just saw fire everywhere in the room, too, and we were just trying to put it out and help the students."

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