Man lights cig after using sanitiser, injured in fire

Man lights cig after using sanitiser, injured in fire

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.04.2021

A 50-year-old carpenter is being treated for severe burns he suffered at his Ashok Nagar residence on Saturday night. Ruban had lit a cigarette minutes after cleaning his hands with a sanitiser and a spark fell on his shirt and triggered a fire, police said.

A senior officer, based on a statement from the man’s family members, said Ruban had reached his house at Pudhur in Ashok Nagar late after work and immediately used a sanitiser to clean his hands. A few drops spilled on his shirt and a family member informed him of this, but Ruban said he would change his shirt anyway after a bath and went to the washroom. There he lit a cigarette, some sparks fell on his shirt and he was soon enveloped in flames, the officer said.

He cried out for help and his family members rushed in and took him to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital where his condition is said to be critical. The man suffered burns to the face, neck, chest, abdomen and both hands, the officer said.

Doctors said a sanitiser evaporates 2-3 seconds after application and so poses little direct threat, but added that creating a flame or lighting a cigarette immediately after using it can be risky.

Dr Sivalingam of a private hospital in Porur stressed that hand sanitisers, though absolutely essential at this time, need to be handled with care. “The high ethyl alcohol content of up to 62% makes a hand sanitiser highly flammable. Never use sanitisers near a fire or a heated place. It is always advisable to use a limited quantity and allow it to dry,” he said.

Alcohol-based sanitisers pose no great risk on the skin because they evaporate in seconds, he said. “People can cook or use a sanitiser near a flame, but need to be careful,” he pointed out.