Florida students hurt when performer catches fire during pep rally

By Karen Brooks

(Reuters) - More than a dozen Florida high school students were injured when a performer doing a trick with a flaming baton caught fire during a pep rally on Thursday, officials said.

None of the injuries were considered life threatening. But seven students were sent to the hospital after breathing in fire extinguisher residue, and a dozen more were treated on scene for respiratory complaints, said Captain Kevin Saxton of the Delray Beach Fire-Rescue Department.

The performer, who caught fire during a baton trick near the end of the rally, suffered burns and was hospitalized with serious injuries, Saxton said.

The fire performance was not authorized by the district, officials with the School District of Palm Beach County said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

"What happened today at Atlantic Community High School is inexcusable," the statement said. "It's a direct violation of district policy. The district's rules are clear that fire and pyrotechnics are forbidden inside our buildings."

The incident is still under investigation by district and fire officials, the statement said.

"It's too early to determine what consequences will result from this," the statement said.

The performer was a paid contractor approved by the principal for the rally, which was meant to raise spirits in advance of the Florida Standardized Assessment exams, said Kathy Burstein, school district spokeswoman.

The rally also included students answering math questions and administrators doing slam dunks, she said. Other schools in the district have used fire performers for similar events, she said.

Classes at Atlantic Community High School resumed almost immediately after the accident, Burstein said.

(Reporting by Karen Brooks in Fort Worth, Texas; Editing by Chris Reese and Cynthia Osterman)