15-year-old student arrested for setting his teacher on fire.

A high school teacher in West High School, Knoxville, Tennessee was set on fire by one of her students on Monday.

The teacher, Gabriela Penalba, 23, turned her back to her class while lecturing her students when a 15-year-old male student set her hair and shirt ablaze using his lighter.

Students quickly put the fire out. The quick thinking of her students helped Penalba avoid any burns.

The student allegedly "exploited the commotion" by throwing the lighter out the window and fleeing before being captured by police.

The young man whose identity was not released, was charged with attempted aggravated assault and resisting arrest and was taken to a juvenile detention institution.he's a minor and has not been charged as an adult.