Steve Timko, Aurora Sain and David Jacobs

RGJ

2:50 p.m. update:

The Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum said the employee who used chemicals in the wrong order while creating a fake tornado and caused a flash that injured 13 has been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of the investigation. It said it is cooperating fully in the investigation.

Meanwhile, Renown Regional Medical Center said the child held overnight for observation after being burned in the chemical flash has been released.

9 a.m. update:

Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum staff reacted quickly after an accident that injured up to 13 late Wednesday afternoon, Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said.

"According to our surveillance video within seconds they already had extinguishers out," Hernandez said. "They were well-trained and assisted our first responders."

About a dozen children were seated 6 feet to 10 feet away from an experiment done routinely at the museum to simulate a dust devil or tornado, Hernandez said. The experiment uses methyl alcohol and boric acid and the order got switched and it caused a flash that lasted two to four seconds.

"It's sort of a one, two, three process and they went one, three, two," Hernandez said.

He described it as being like being too close to a campfire.

"There was very minimal damage within the immediate area of where the flash occurred," Hernandez said. "There was an easel immediate adjacent to the demonstration and it did not even get knocked over."

Given the smaller quantity of chemicals they used in the demonstration, there wasn't much of a chance of a more serious flash, the chief said. Nothing that would have blown out windows, for instance.

RELATED: Discovery Museum in Reno issues statement on fiery mishap

One child suffered second-degree burns and was going to be kept overnight at Renown Regional Medical Center for observation, Hernandez said. He visited all the children taken to the hospital Wednesday night and most seemed shaken by the incident.

Renown reported six children and two adults were treated and released and one was kept overnight for observation. It reported no change in status this morning.

The fire department will recommend the museum review its procedures.

"I think at the end of the of the day it's going to come down to a simple accident in procedure," Hernandez said. "As the fire chief, I'm not going to call them and say, 'Please stop doing this procedure.' The fact is, they've been doing this for quite some time. This is probably an isolated event."

Museum spokeswoman Meagan Noin said they had no new comment this morning.

"We are still investigating what happened so we don't have any new information at this time," Noin said.

Washoe County School District spokesman Charles Rahn said the children were not there as part of any school district-sponsored event.

Wednesday story:

A science experiment went awry Wednesday at the Terry Lee Wells Discovery Museum, creating a chemical flash that injured up to 13, officials said.

Of those 13, eight children and an adult were transported to Renown Regional Medical Center, the city said in a statement.

Primary injuries include minor burns and minor smoke inhalation, the statement said.

Four people were treated at the scene and released, Reno police officer Tim Broadway said earlier.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said it was a routine experiment involving the simulation of a tornado that is conducted daily at the museum, 490 S. Center St.

The officials said a methyl alcohol and boric acid mixture caught fire during a routine exhibition that is conducted each day to create a whirling tornado effect.

Authorities received a 911 call about 4:10 p.m.

"A routine science demonstration didn't happen as usual causing a flash," the Discovery Museum wrote on its Twitter account.

Keri Koeckes was at the museum with her son, age 8 and her friend's daughter age 11.

"It was scary. I'm still shaken up by it."

"You didn't expect it to happen. I feel so bad for the families who were affected," Koeckes said.

Everyone was sitting on the floor for the presentation, Koeckes said.

Koeckes, her son, and friend's daughter sat in the back. They did two demonstrations that went fine, and then when they did the third demonstration they poured alcohol on it and it ignited, Koeckes said.

The fire spread in a circle radius, Koeckes said.

The incident remains under investigation.

In its tweet, the Discovery Museum said that "Preliminary reports of an explosion" were inaccurate.

"Our primary focus right now is on Discovery patrons and their safety," Mat Sinclair, executive director for The Discovery said in a statement. "All those affected by today's incident continue to be in our thoughts, and we are committed to determining the cause of this incident."

No serious damage was reported to the building.

Renown staff indicated that one child would remain in the hospital for observation and would likely be released today, the city's statement said.

– The Associated Press contributed to this story