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Firefighters pulled this mattress from a bedroom at a home on Linnell Avenue in Green Monday morning. The mattress caught fire when a woman lit a cigarette in bed without realizing her oxygen mask was nearby.
GREEN — A woman suffered burns to her hands Monday morning while trying to put out a fire that started after she lit a cigarette without realizing her oxygen mask was nearby, according to Douglas County Fire District No. 2.
The woman, said to be in her 40s, had lit the cigarette after waking up in her bed at her home at 2022 Linell Avenue, according to a press release. The oxygen mask she uses for medical treatment caught on fire, and the blaze spread to her bedding and mattress.
Firefighters were called at about 9:40 a.m., arriving five minutes after being dispatched to find light smoke coming from a bedroom window on the back side of the house.
Crews took a smoldering mattress and a bed spread outside to extinguish the blaze and minimize smoke damage to the home. Power fans were used to remove lingering smoke from inside.
Firefighters had the fire under control in about 10 minutes, and damage was limited mostly to the mattress and bedding, with minor damage in the bedroom. The initial damage estimate was about $2,000.
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene for burns she suffered to her hands while trying to put the fire out with a small fire extinguisher, according to the press release. She declined an ambulance ride to the hospital, but was advised by paramedics to see an emergency physician to examine her injuries, according to the press release.
Fire officials are reminding the public that it is extremely hazardous to smoke or be near any flame source while using oxygen treatment. Although oxygen is not a flammable gas, when in the presence of a flame, it accelerates the combustion process, according to the press release.
Fire officials also advise those who discover a fire to immediately call 911, close the door of the room where the fire is located and stand clear of the structure until firefighters arrive.
A total of 10 District No. 2 firefighters and five Winston-Dillard Fire District firefighters assisted at the scene.
The woman, said to be in her 40s, had lit the cigarette after waking up in her bed at her home at 2022 Linell Avenue, according to a press release. The oxygen mask she uses for medical treatment caught on fire, and the blaze spread to her bedding and mattress.
Firefighters were called at about 9:40 a.m., arriving five minutes after being dispatched to find light smoke coming from a bedroom window on the back side of the house.
Crews took a smoldering mattress and a bed spread outside to extinguish the blaze and minimize smoke damage to the home. Power fans were used to remove lingering smoke from inside.
Firefighters had the fire under control in about 10 minutes, and damage was limited mostly to the mattress and bedding, with minor damage in the bedroom. The initial damage estimate was about $2,000.
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene for burns she suffered to her hands while trying to put the fire out with a small fire extinguisher, according to the press release. She declined an ambulance ride to the hospital, but was advised by paramedics to see an emergency physician to examine her injuries, according to the press release.
Fire officials are reminding the public that it is extremely hazardous to smoke or be near any flame source while using oxygen treatment. Although oxygen is not a flammable gas, when in the presence of a flame, it accelerates the combustion process, according to the press release.
Fire officials also advise those who discover a fire to immediately call 911, close the door of the room where the fire is located and stand clear of the structure until firefighters arrive.
A total of 10 District No. 2 firefighters and five Winston-Dillard Fire District firefighters assisted at the scene.
