Arnold Man Burned in His Home

A 70-year-old Arnold man was engulfed in flames yesterday after he lit a cigarette while using medical oxygen at his home in the 300 block of Volley Court, according to county fire officials.

The man was flown to the burn center in Baltimore around 7:30 a.m. Friday with life-threatening injuries, said Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman Steve Thompson.

"Oxygen itself isn't flammable, but it makes everything that is highly flammable," Thompson said. 

The National Fire Protection Association reports that between 2003 and 2006, hospitals treated an estimated 1,190 people for burns related to home oxygen use. 

Supplemental oxygen can help patients who have compromised lung function due to emphysema or other chronic conditions to breathe easier. Lightweight, portable oxygen systems now allow patients on oxygen to live independently.

But according to fire officials, no one should ever smoke anywhere near the equipment. Pure oxygen is highly flammable, and striking a match or holding a lit cigarette anywhere near it can start a fire.

Fires caused by smoking and oxygen can also cause a lot of property damage, including smoke and water damage to structures caused by efforts to put out the fire.