3 Students Burned in N.C. School Experiment Gone Bad

Three children were taken to hospitals for treatment after a chemistry experiment went wrong at a North Carolina high school.

The accident happened Tuesday at E.E. Smith High School in Fayetteville.

Cumberland County schools spokeswoman Renarta Moyd said the experiment ignited in an advanced placement chemistry course when potassium nitrate and table sugar were heated together.

Moyd said the heated mixture ignited as it was being taken outside the laboratory.

She said she didn’t know the extent of the injuries suffered by the students. Moyd said one was taken to Womack Army Medical Center at nearby Fort Bragg and two others to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.

The Fayetteville Fire Department said more students were treated for injuries at the scene but their conditions were unknown.