South Grant didn't need to go backstage to remove makeup, nor did she need to change her clothes. After returning the guitar to the band members, she turned to leave.
Just when Chester Lynch announced the next program and asked the first-year girls to come on stage, there were screams from backstage, followed by billowing smoke.
Chester Lynch, standing on the stage, was stunned. Then he realized what was happening behind him.
Parents and teachers seated in the guest seats, along with all the students in the auditorium, watched as smoke rose behind and chaos unfolded, feeling their minds go blank.
Chester Lynch's first reaction was that the backstage was on fire. At this moment, the students and staff in the back were all scuttling about trying to escape the scene, and the students seated below were screaming in panic, afraid that the fire would spread to the front.
