The entire hospital could have caught fire because of the behavior of a 75-year-old patient who, while in bed undergoing oxygen therapy, recklessly lit a cigarette, which started a fire.
The incident occurred in a ward of the Agostino Landolfi hospital in Solofra, in the province of Avellino. Contact between the flame and the oxygen caused a sudden blaze that engulfed the patient and set fire to the sheets.
The flames spread throughout the room, but thanks to the intervention of nurses, who rushed to the scene with fire extinguishers, the fire was prevented from spreading to the entire ward. Firefighters arrived immediately afterward and proceeded to secure and clean up the affected area.
No damage to the facilities or potential smoke intoxication of other patients was reported. The elderly woman, a heavy smoker, was reported by the Carabinieri for arson.
