Denver high school chemistry lab fires sends students to hospital

DENVER - Four students suffered burns and at least one had serious injuries after a fire erupted Monday in a Denver high school chemistry laboratory, officials said.

The students were taken to Denver-area hospitals, some with burns on their faces and upper chests, Denver Fire Department spokesman Mark Watson said.

The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known. It occurred before 8 a.m. at the Science, Math and Arts Academy, known as the SMART Academy, a charter school under the Denver Public Schools system.

A teacher was conducting a demonstration in an 11th-grade chemistry class when the fire broke out, and the students were not handling any of the materials, said Chris Gibbons, chief executive officer of Strive Preparatory Schools, which operates nine charter schools in the Denver system.

Gibbons said he did not know what sort of demonstration the teacher was conducting.

It follows a flash fire at a Nevada science museum earlier this month that injured 13 people, mainly children. In that case, the blaze erupted after an employee applied chemicals in the wrong order in a demonstration simulating a tornado.

Watson said one of the students had serious injuries, but Gibbons said he could not comment on their conditions.

"We're all obviously very concerned for their safety and their recovery," Gibbons said. He declined to identify the teacher or the students.

Watson said the fire appeared to have burned itself out and didn't spread beyond the lab. It set off school alarms, prompting an evacuation, but students later returned to classes, the fire department spokesman said.

The school has 450 students in grades 9 through 11 and will add a 12th grade next year, Gibbons said.