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District finishing report on fire-breather stunt

Posted at 5:59 PM, May 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-25 19:08:12-04

With a federal investigation now over, the Palm Beach County School District is wrapping up its report into what went wrong during a fire-breathing stunt at Atlantic High School.

In a media briefing Wednesday morning, School Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa said there will be no changes to school policies and procedures after 20 people were treated after the incident.

The botched fire-breathing trick happened in March at Atlantic High School.

After taking a swig of liquid, Ricky "the Inferno Charles" was engulfed in flames in front of a packed gymnasium of kids. He recovered but he suffered second-degree burns to his face, arm and thigh. 

OSHA investigators confirm what Charles told us after the accident: that he used the wrong type of accelerant for the act and will use the right one in the future.

Dr. Avossa says the district is comfortable with the policies and procedures it has in place.

“We've also used this as a reminder to our principles about working with risk management,” explained Dr. Avossa. “When an activity needs to be planned on campus, and how we go about working to include it, I don't want to stop pep rallies. I want kids to have fun and make memories but we've got to be safe.

As the district wraps-up its investigation, we asked if any school employees will face disciplinary action. We were told the investigation is still open.