A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day. (Photos courtesy of Oak Ridge Fire Department)
A small fire in a trash can in a chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School on Friday night was the result of an unintended reaction from waste products left over from a chemistry experiment earlier in the day, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.
The fire occurred just before 9 p.m. Friday. The classroom was filled with smoke when firefighters arrived, but they were able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked classroom, Kerley said.
“Upon investigation, it was determined the fire was an accidental, unintentional, exothermic reaction created by waste products from chemistry experiments earlier in the day,” Kerley said. “The school system uses fire-resistant waste containers in the chemistry laboratories, which contained the fire as it was designed to do.”
The fire was in a fire-resistant wastepaper container, which was inside a locked chemistry classroom at Oak Ridge High School.
Kerley said the fire department removed the smoke using a forced ventilation system.
He said there were no injuries and no damage to the school.
Note: This story was updated at 1:10 p.m.
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