Dinwiddie County High School was evacuated after an “incident” in the chemistry lab, the school district superintendent said.
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Virginia officials say a fire in a chemistry classroom has hospitalized three high school students and a teacher.
It happened early Wednesday, Oct. 12, when a fire broke out during a chemistry class at Dinwiddie High School, according to a news release from the Dinwiddie County Fire Department. Officials say they were notified by the school’s resource officer, the school’s fire alarm and phone calls from staff.
When firefighters and EMS personnel arrived at the school, students had already been evacuated and the classroom fire was extinguished, according to the release.
School students were dismissed early at 11:15 a.m., according to Dinwiddie County Public Schools.
Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations claim that they found three students with burns. All three students were treated and transported to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. Two students were taken by ambulance and one was taken by helicopter, officials said.
As officials continued to examine the scene, they found a fourth student with burns, the release said. That student was treated at the scene and released with minor burns.
According to officials, the teacher was also sent to the hospital for treatment. There is no information about the conditions of students and teachers.
Fire and EMS say they are working with the Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office to determine the cause of the fire.
Dinwiddie County is 45 miles southwest of Richmond.