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        New Message Board Archives >> 2006 General Board Posts >> Death Due to Oxygen Fire
        
(Message started by: chewy on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:07pm)

Title: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by chewy on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:07pm

DAN HABIB / Monitor staff
Barbara Brouillette, 78, died in a fire that started in her Hillsboro home yesterday when she was smoking a cigarette near her portable oxygen tank.

A Hillsboro woman died yesterday after she caught fire in her apartment while smoking and using an oxygen tank at the same time, a state fire marshal and a neighbor said.

Barbara Brouillette, 78, was on fire when she ran into the backyard of her condominium at 66 Preston St. seeking help, said Christine Silfvenius, her neighbor. Rescue workers found her lying outside.

The fire started because she was smoking a cigarette while receiving medical oxygen, likely from a nasal tube, said John Raymond, assistant director of the state fire marshal's office.

Fire officials called it an accident. Though they did not name the burn victim yesterday, Silfvenius confirmed it was Brouillette, her neighbor of four years.

Silfvenius said Brouillette had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer and had long had heart problems.

"She was pretty good about it,"Silfvenius said. "She wanted to go forward. She said, 'I smoked all my life.' She said, 'I had no regrets. I've done everything I wanted to do.'"

Oxygen can make clothes highly flammable, Raymond said. "Anybody on oxygen is not supposed to smoke," he said.

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by Jonny on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:13pm

on 09/11/06 at 21:07:23, chewy wrote:

"Anybody on oxygen is not supposed to smoke," he said.

Thats good advice, never light up or you will be lit up!!

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by maffumatt on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:18pm

Not only that, it saturates your clothing and blankets, get up and walk around before you light up after using O2, just waiting a min doesn't help.

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by tanner on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:35pm

Great reminder Chewy and excellent followups guy's :)

....Tim

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by Cathi04 on Sep 11^th, 2006, 9:40pm

I watched a house lose the entire back portion to an explosion. The newspaper article that came out the following morning explained that the owner was an 02 user who had left her valve open while she went about her day, doing whatever she did in her den, along with smoking. The room was saturated, so, when she lit up, it went off just like a bomb.

Please be careful, gang!

Cathi

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by Ree on Sep 11^th, 2006, 10:22pm

I cannot imagine that this woman loved her cigaretts more than her own life. What a stupid bitch.....Ya I said it.... My sister in law has a second chance and shes smoking again... She went through chemo...lost her hair... dehydrated puking and having pins and needles jabbed in her body... put her family through all that.. its hard to care when she doesn't... So I remain baffled

ree

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by paulc on Sep 11^th, 2006, 10:36pm

She from North Carolina? No wonder, poor woman-her daddy was her older brother and her momma was her older sister. They really have got to do change those incest laws down there to prevent future tragedies! :P ::)

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by tanner on Sep 11^th, 2006, 10:42pm

Hey paul, I just may be able to come up with an extra ticket to the next Nascar race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in NC.

Think you can make it?

You might have to sit on the track, but hey what a view [smiley=laugh.gif]

.....Tim

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by nani on Sep 11^th, 2006, 11:10pm

Thanks for the reminder, chew. Sometimes the hardest thing for me to do is wait until the O2 evaporates to light up after a hit. The visual of this poor woman will help me be patient.

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by Jimi on Sep 11^th, 2006, 11:34pm

Yes I have worked 3-4 death investigations over my career where a fire was started due to someone on 02 smoking. It permeates your clothing, couch, bed etc. Best to go outside, change your shirt or blouse or at least go into another room to smoke that cigarette after a hit.

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by Mr. Happy on Sep 11^th, 2006, 11:43pm

Awwww.....I luv you'se guys.......but I won't buy into this O2 Danger thing for a minute. No way. Simple rule......no combustibles while huffing canned air.
You want dangerous.....everybody get a propane BBQ Grill on the "Deck" and crank that sucker up to HI.

Roast two hot dogs, and call me in the morning.
Hap

Title: Re: Death Due to Oxygen Fire
Post by cootie on Sep 12^th, 2006, 4:16pm

Don't mind paulc....he's an incest survivor.......he's related to his dog. Anyhow.......my mom got burned 'severely' in an operation years ago cuz of an oxygen tube they taped to her chin while 'caterizeing' sum cancer areas on her face where they had removed bad spots. She caught fire......and she was put under for that operation cuz of a bad large area they were removeing near her eye. Her face was burned and re-construction of her nose was pretty much badly damaged that they had worked on for a year. You'd think people would HEED the dam warnings.....esp a hospital !!! She tried to sue but LOST. Flames for thought Pam

My dad still smokes like a chimney and he has ALOT of serious shit goin on.....but if ya ask him he'd jus say he smokes a couple a day and is healthy as can be so why quit ! :-/