Boy, 15, arrested for 'setting teacher's hair and clothes on FIRE' as she stood with her back to the class



A Tennessee high school student was arrested after police say he tried to set his teacher on fire in school.



Investigators say the incident happened just before 11am Monday at West High School in Knoxville as Gabriela Penalba, 23, was teaching a class.



According to police, Penalba had turned her back to her students when a 15-year-old boy came up behind her with a cigarette lighter and set her shirt and hair ablaze.



Catching fire: Teacher Gabriela Penalba, 23, was standing with her back turned to her class when police say a 15-year-old boy used a lighter to torch her hair and shirt



Fiery attack: When officers responded to West High School in Knoxville to arrest the student, he attempted to flee after tossing the lighter out the window

Other students rushed to the teacher's aid and helped extinguish the flames, saving Penalba from burns to her body, the station WBIR reported.



When the 23-year-old woman, who teaches science and physiology, left the classroom, police say the teenage suspect attempted to dispose of the lighter by tossing it out the window.

When officers responded to the school, the boy fled but was apprehended a short time later on a nearby greenway.



According to WATE, the teen allegedly admitted to setting Penalba alight when questioned by police. The motive behind the fiery attack remains unclear at this time.



Lucky: Penalba (left), who teaches science at West High School, did not suffer any burns to her body

The student, who is not being named because of his age, has been charged in juvenile court with aggravated assault and evading arrest.



Melissa Ogden, a spokeswoman for Knox County Schools, told MailOnline in an email that Miss Penalba is a first-year teacher at the school.

