Hendersonville Standard
HENDERSONVILLE WEATHER

County to pay medical expenses of those injured in magnet school lab fire




A flash fire that injured 17 students and a teacher in a Merrol Hyde Magnet School chemistry lab last week was caused by a mixture of boric acid and ethyl alcohol, according to Hendersonville Fire Chief Scotty Bush.

Bush said the science experiment that causes a green flame is a common one done in classrooms across the country. Investigators still aren’t sure what went wrong in this case, he added.

“As we all know, anytime we deal with chemicals in any setting, accidents occur whether at home, school, business, [in a] factory or any other setting,” Bush said. “We’re not 100 percent sure how it happened.”

The fire chief said his office was working on some recommendations for the school system regarding the use of chemicals, but declined to say what those recommendations are until the two agencies meet.

“Our department moving forward will be meeting with [Sumner County Director of Schools] Dr. Del Phillips and his staff to review current policies and procedures,” Bush added.

Several agencies, including Hendersonville fire, police and Sumner County EMS responded to the report of a fire at the school at around 9 a.m. on May 9. The fire was put out quickly by the teacher using a fire extinguisher and was contained to one classroom.

“The response was quick and swift,” said Bush. “We’re fortunate and blessed to have staff that reacted the way they did.” 

The teacher and four students were transported by Sumner County EMS to Hendersonville Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Four other students were taken by their parents to the Hendersonville hospital while an additional nine students were treated at the scene, according to Sumner County Schools Spokesman Jeremy Johnson.

Those who were transported by EMS suffered from partial-thickness or second-degree burns, according to Bush. All were released from the hospital the same day the accident occurred.

Sumner County will pay the medical expenses of those injured, according to Law Director Leah May Dennen. Dennen also oversees the county’s risk management office.

“There are certain times when I feel like it’s in the best interest for all involved to make sure medical care is provided, and that’s what we chose to do with this,” said Dennen. She said she didn’t have an estimate yet of what the cost would be. 

Johnson declined to identify the teacher – a first-year teacher who won’t be returning in the fall to MHMS.

Johnson said the teacher had already resigned from the Sumner County school district before the accident with plans to move out of state.

Classes were cancelled for the day at around 10:15 a.m. on May 9, and resumed as normal the following day.

School district officials will meet with representatives of the agencies that responded on Friday and undergo a debriefing process, according to Johnson.

“Every time we have an incident like this that involves law enforcement or a similar agency, we sit down and discuss what we did well and what we can do better,” he said.

“At that time, we’ll take any recommendations the fire department has for us. All of that will be discussed then.”

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