No Serious Injuries Reported in School Firework Incident

Trevor Painton, assistant superintendent of the Romoland School District, talks to TV news crews after the incident.

Students were kept inside classrooms for a brief time this morning following the explosion of what school district and fire officials described as a "firework" at Ethan A. Chase Middle School in the Romoland community of Menifee.

No serious injuries were reported in the incident but some students nearby when the device exploded complained of ear pain, according to Trevor Painton, assistant superintendent of the Romoland School District. "Some of those were released to their parents and in a few of those cases, they were transferred" to a local hospital, he said.

According to a report from the Riverside County Fire Department, 18 students were "exposed to a loud explosive device." Five students were listed with minor injuries in the report. Confusion among parents responding to Internet reports and social media messages apparently concerned whether ringing in the ears and headaches are classified as injuries and exactly how many students complained of those symptoms.

Painton said a student detonated a firework in a trash can during snack time in the squad area about 10 a.m. He said the student involved was identified immediately and is cooperating with Sheriff's deputies.

"The school was not on lockdown," Painton said. "The kids were evacuated onto the blacktop area after it happened. Then when deputies arrived, students were led into their classrooms while an investigation was conducted. That investigation has concluded and we are back at business as usual."

Outside the school just before 2 p.m. and regular school dismissal time, several parents asked to pick up their children. A volunteer campus security worker told the parents that, at the direction of the principal, no students would be released individually because it was only a few minutes until normal dismissal and it would take longer to find the students than for the parents to wait outside the gates as usual.

As the school day ended and students left the campus, many swarmed television news crews, trying to get on camera. Students interviewed by Menifee 24/7 said they saw no one injured from the explosion but several students running from the area, holding their ears.

"A trash can exploded and we all ran out there," said Samuel, an eighth grader who was being picked up by a parent outside the school. "No kids were that near the trash can when it exploded. Nobody was really injured; I didn't see any."

"I just heard a big boom and saw some smoke," said eighth grader Johnny De La Rosa, also being picked up by family members at the regular dismissal time. "There was no blood or anything."

Painton said he could not discuss disciplinary action that might be taken against the student, but that "the student will not be simply let off with a warning."

"The school responded appropriately and in a great manner," Painton said. "The principal has done a few phone auto dialers to parents so misinformation is not out there. The Sheriff's Department was very complimentary of school staff and how they handled the situation."

Ethan A. Chase Middle School is located at 28100 Calm Horizon Drive in the Heritage Lake community of northeast Menifee.