Urgent warning after woman 'set her head on fire' by vaping in hospital bed

A woman who vapedin her hospital bed while wearing an oxygen mask has been left with burns after setting fire to her own head.

The dramatic accident happened in a side room at the Sunderland Royal and saw the woman in her 50s with burns to her head. The oxygen mask melted to its tubing and even fused to the blanket and bedsheet and leaving scorch marks on the floor of the hospitalroom.

Bosses at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Trust believe the woman was vaping at the time. They have now issued an urgent warning telling people to not vape or use electronic cigarettes on the ward.

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Bosses have also praised the quick-thinking staff who rushed to turn off the oxygen supply, and put the fire out. They added there have been three other incidents were people have set off the fire alarms by smoking or vaping.

Hospital bosses said there have been "several occasions" of patients being verbally abusive and refusing to follow the rules in place. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on hospital land, while vaping is banned in buildings and outside of doorways.

Jim Charlton, the trust’s fire safety and security manager, said: "This shocking incident shows exactly why we ask our patients and visitors not to vape inside our buildings. We do that to keep everyone safe. This patient has been left injured by what happened, but it is fortunate it was not even more serious.

“Hospitals are a place of care, treatment and recuperation for those who need our help. Our staff should be able to work without fear of the damage and risk vapes and cigarettes cause.

"The staff on the ward where this incident happened are to be commended on their swift response. They turned off the oxygen and put out the fire with an extinguisher. All of those involved were fantastic."

He added: "We will continue to remind patients and visitors about the fire risk of both vapes and cigarettes using this incident as a real-life example of the dangers they present."