Seven boys are in hospital after Norwegian teachers encouraged them to walk barefoot on hot coals
Firewalking class where Norwegian teachers encouraged students to walk barefoot on hot coals puts seven of them in hospital
- Some of the injured students – all boys – had to be given morphine for the pain
- Parents were never consulted about the “firewalking” experiment
A physics class in Norway, where teachers encouraged teenage students to walk barefoot on hot coals, went horribly wrong when seven children were hospitalized with burns.
An investigation was launched into the “firewalking” experiment in a science class, which parents say were never consulted about.
Some of the injured students – all boys – had to be given morphine for the pain after the stunt, which included their physics teacher and principal.
A parent of a 17-year-old student told MailOnline they first knew about the firewalk when their son called from school and had to be taken to hospital for second-degree burns and severe blisters on the soles of his feet after walking on the 500C cinders.
“We were never consulted on this,” said the parent, who declined to be named, “and the school seemed to dismiss our concerns by saying ‘the students all agreed’, which isn’t good enough. is.’
An investigation has been launched into the ‘firewalking’ experiment during a physics class, which the parents say were never consulted
Some of the injured students – all boys – had to be given morphine for pain after the stunt, which included their physics teacher and principal
Physics teacher Vidar Furholt (pictured) also participated in the firewalking experiment
The rector Karl Roar Vigmostad (pictured) has announced an investigation – into the fire walk in which he personally participated
Now the principal of St. Olav’s High School in Stavanger, Norway, Karl Roar Vigmostad, has announced an investigation – into the fire walk in which he personally took part.
A group of boys in the co-ed physics class proposed the experiment to test a scientific phenomenon called the Leidenfrost effect, which some scientists believe occurs during firewalking.
At high temperatures, water vapor would form a protective layer, decreasing the chance of injury, but other experts believe that water can cause bits of the glowing embers to stick to the soles of the feet.
Anyway, according to one parent, the boys’ suggestion to dip their feet in cold water before stepping on the coals was rejected at the last minute by physics teacher Vidar Furholt.
According to the parent, Mr. Furholt, who was last to do the fire walk, got blisters himself along with Mr. Vigmostad, but made air of it the next day.
“They also suggested in their proposal that there should be a first aid kit on hand, but that was not the case,” says the parent. “The closest one was in the principal’s office. We had to find a doctor to get permission to take our son to the hospital’s burn unit, where he was given a double dose of morphine.
“The doctors said the blisters should heal, but the biggest fear is that they will get infected. In my opinion, the school has behaved very irresponsibly. It’s all been very upset.’
Director Vigmostad told local newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad after the incident on Thursday: ‘This went wrong, it’s not right. We take this episode seriously.”
He added: “It’s too early to say what happened. Our first priority was to receive and monitor the students.
“We will investigate further and find out why it ended the way it did. There is much to learn from such an incident. ‘
He told the newspaper that no ambulance had been called to the school and that students were encouraged to go to a doctor themselves and that the school helped make that happen by contacting the local hospital.’
MailOnline contacted Mr. Vigmostad for comment.