Seymour teenager recovering from burns

By Herald staff writer Seymour High School student Chad Hatcher, 17, is recovering after being burned while eating dinner at the Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse in West Knoxville on the first day of February. Hatcher was flown to Erlanger Burn Center in Chattanooga with burns to his face, neck, and arms. Part of the show at the restaurant included the chefs making flames, a tradition at many Japanese steakhouses. Only this time, something went wrong. According to reports, the chef dropped a bottle of liquid he was using to ignite the cooking surface, causing a large fire. The fire spread and caught part of Hatcher’s shirt on fire. Since this restaurant opened four months ago, this is the first incident of this nature reported. The restaurant reported that the liquid used to start the fire was lemon extract. The restaurant was not cited for the incident.