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Alton Fire Chief Rich Mersinger says a Bethalto man was burned on his face and heads when a cigarette he was smoking ignited his oxygen tank. 

The (Alton) Telegraph  reports the man, described only as in his mid-50s, was injured Wednesday.

Mersinger says the victim appeared to have suffered first- and second-degree burns.

The man was treated at the scene before being taken to an Alton hospital. His medical status is not immediately clear.

Mersinger considers the case a reminder that people should refrain from smoking when they're using oxygen or are indoors where it's in use. He says oxygen is a fire hazard.

 

SIKESTON, Mo. (AP) - A 97-year-old southeast Missouri resident has died after catching himself on fire while smoking a cigar.

KFVS-TV reports that John Yount of Sikeston died Tuesday. A relative told police that Yount had frequently fallen asleep while smoking and apparently caught himself on fire while smoking a cigar.

Sikeston police arrived at Yount's home to find him with severe burns. He was taken to a hospital in Cape Girardeau, then transferred to St. Louis, where he died later Tuesday