Chemistry teacher sets fire to two students

A chemistry teacher in the US has set fire to two students in an experiment gone disastrously wrong.

Sixteen-year-old Alonzo Yanes, of Manhattan's award-winning Beacon High School, suffered third degree burns to his head and neck, and possible burns to his airways when he was engulfed by flames from the failed chemistry demonstration yesterday.

His teacher, Anna Poole, had been treating her students to a "fun" demonstration of how different chemicals react to others during their first class back from holidays, the New York Post reported.

But the chemicals exploded into a fireball that raged across a countertop and engulfed Mr Yanes, who had been standing about a metre away.

"Help me, help me," Mr Yanes yelled as he dropped to the floor and tried to roll before a fire extinguisher and then a blanket were used to extinguish the flames.

"His skin — a lot of it was melted and scabbed," classmate Jeremy Reynoso, 15, told the Post.

"His clothes were burned. His hair was burned… he was on fire for a good minute.

"I saw his ear was melting. The skin was peeling. His face was red. Afterward, he wasn’t talking or moving."

A second student, a 16-year-old girl, suffered less severe burns to her neck, head and arm.

Source: New York Post.