Chemistry Teacher Sets Student On Fire
A New York City chemistry teacher set a student on fire earlier this year, after “carelessly” handling volatile chemicals in a dangerous experiment, a new report has revealed.
Anna Poole, a 10th grade chemistry teacher at the prestigious Upper West Side Beacon High School, was demonstrating a chemical reaction when the accident occurred on January 2. Pouring methanol from a one-gallon jug into a series of four petri dishes, the contents of which had only moments before been aflame, Poole was the only one in the room wearing safety goggles, The New York Daily News reports. The experiment quickly went awry as the flammable liquid exploded, causing a “fireball — like a blow torch” to fly across the room, according to a Special Commissioner of Investigation’s report into the incident.
The fireball hit 16-year-old student Alonzo Yanes, setting the boy, who is referred to as “Student A” in the report, on fire. According to The New York Post, there was no fire blanket or working extinguisher on-hand to put out the fire, which caused second- and third-degree burns to Yanes’ face, neck, and torso. A second student, Julia Saltonstall, was burned on her forearm, though her injuries were less severe.
Student witnesses describe Yanes rolling around on the floor calling for help before chemistry and biology teacher Thomas Covotsos attempted to put out the flames. Witnesses also describe Poole, shocked, saying “Oh, my God, I set a kid on fire!” School custodian Dimitri Stefanopoulos, who arrived in the classroom shortly after the fire, told investigators that Yanes “looked like a victim from a battlefield,” describing his left ear as “melted.”
Chemical explosions are no laughing matter, as The Inquisitr has previously reported. Earlier this month, a woman in Portland, Oregon, was injured in a port-a-potty explosion, which was caused by a plastic water bottle that contained a mixture of chemicals, effectively making it a “homemade bomb.” Two nearby residents also reported that their mailboxes were damaged by similar explosions.
Poole refused to speak with investigators following the incident, which resulted in the school receiving eight different citations from the New York City Fire Department. Yanes is undergoing physical and psychiatric therapy following the fire, according to his lawyer, Jeffrey Bloom, and has remained out of school since the incident.
According to a DOE spokesman, Poole, who was reassigned following the chemical fire, will remain in her new position while disciplinary action is considered. Lawyers for both students have filed notices of claims against both Poole and the Education department, signaling that further legal action is pending.
[Images via New York Daily News]
