3 hurt after firework ignited inside Houston-area school

HOUSTON – Three students suffered minor injuries Tuesday as they tried to get away from a firework that had been ignited inside a Houston-area high school cafeteria, according to a school district spokesman.

About 700 students were in the cafeteria at Klein Forest High School in Klein, Texas, around 1:30 p.m. when someone set off the firework, said Justin Elbert, assistant director of communications with the Klein school district.

“A lot of students were in the area when it happened,” Elbert said. About 3,400 students are enrolled at the high school.

The students were not injured due to the firework but their hands were hurt as they tried to run away and tripped or fell. Elbert said the students were evaluated and then released to their families.

Officials were trying to determine what kind of firework was ignited and who set it off. Elbert said nothing caught on fire due to the firework being set off.

“They’re looking at surveillance footage right now to determine who the suspect might be,” Elbert said.

The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office said in a tweet that it was sending investigators to the high school. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT team and bomb sniffing dogs were also sent to the school.

Classes at the campus were dismissed early due to the incident and all after-school activities were cancelled, Elbert said.

The school district said students would not be returning to the building on Tuesday and officials would work with students and staff to get them their personal property at a later time.