Five students injured in chemical fire at Woodson High School

Updated, 8:30 p.m.
Five students suffered burns from a fire in a chemistry
classroom at Woodson High School this morning.

Two of them were seriously injured and transported via helicopter, one to the Burn Center at Medstar Washington Hospital Center and the other to the burn center at Children’s Hospital. Those injuries were “not life
threatening,” said Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers Jr. at a press briefing outside the school.  The main concern is the threat of infection.

Three students had less-serious injuries and were
transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital. A teacher suffered  minor injuries and was treated on the spot, Bowers said.

Officials have not yet released the names of the injured
students and declined to identify their genders or ages or the extent of the
injuries. Bower, however, acknowledged the students “came into contact with a
heat source.” The chemistry class had mostly sophomores and juniors.

One of those seriously injured was Sonya Garvis, a 10th grader, said Woodson student Matthew Pattarozzi, who saw her being evacuated in a helicopter with burned hair. The class was taught by chemistry teacher Susan Sharaf.

The class was conducting an experiment using chemicals to change the color of fire, said Pattarozzi and his friends gathered on the baseball field at about 2 p.m. They said they heard screams and smelled smoke but did not hear an explosion.

The school was evacuated. Students were sent to the football
stadium to wait for school buses or parents to pick them up.  

The 911 call came in at 9:35 a.m. The first firefighters on
the scene encountered an active fire in a classroom in the science wing, said
Bowers. Sprinklers were activated, and firefighters used water hoses to
extinguish the fire.

About 50 percent of the classroom was damaged by fire, smoke, and water, he said. Damage to the classroom is estimated at $7,500.

After the incident, people in the school “did exactly what
they were supposed to do,” Bowers aid. They called 911, helped the injured, evacuated
the classroom, and closed the door.

Francis Ivey, the assistant superintendent for Region 5, said,
“on behalf of Superintendent Karen Garza, our thoughts and prayers are with
the injured students and their families.”

A notice on the Woodson website from Principal Scott Poole said counselors will be available to students who want to talk about the incident. Tonight’s football game and pre-game activities will be held as scheduled.