SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say a Springfield man who was smoking while using oxygen to help him breathe has died.
The Springfield Fire Department announced the death of 70-year-old Ray Atkinson in a news release Tuesday. The release says firefighters found Atkinson suffering from burns to his face when they responded to a medical call from a home on Nov. 12.
Investigators say he was injured several hours earlier when heat from the lighter came into contact with oxygen-enriched air and caused flames to ignite. Atkinson was transported to a hospital burn unit, where he later died.
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The Springfield Fire Department says all users of medical oxygen should avoid smoking.
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