Cigarettes and Oxygen Don't Mix

Posted on Medlaw.com:

A resident died at an Escondico, CA, nursing home after his oxygen tank burst into flames, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The 67-year-old man was reportedly sitting outside at Palomar Heights Care Center and smoking a cigarette while his oxygen was turned on.

SNF employees sprayed him with a fire extinguisher after the tank exploded, but the man later died of burns and inhalation at a nearby hospital.

California’s Department of Health Services is investigating, the Mercury News reported.