Girl Catches Fire at Hospital: Hand Sanitizer Could Be Behind Mysterious Fire (VIDEO)
A girl mysteriously caught fire at a hospital in Portland, Ore., sparking an investigation into what might have caused the blaze, although initial reports suggest authorities at the hospital remain baffled by the incident.
The bizarre incident involved an 11 year old cancer survivor, who was initially hospitalized with a head injury. The young girl, called Ireland Lane, was reportedly seen painting in her room at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, but moment later came running out into the hallway screaming with her T-shirt on fire.
Lane suffered third degree burns in the fire, and hospital staff have been unable to give any indication on what might have sparked the fire.
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Dr. Stacy Nicholson, physician-in-chief at Doernbecher Children's Hospital, told KATU: "I've been in medicine going back 30 years now and never heard anything like this. And hopefully I never will again."
Nicholson also said to ABC News: "Our safety experts are working closely with the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office on its investigation. We anxiously await the their findings and will certainly make adjustments if the cause was preventable."
The 11 year old has described that she used a hand sanitizer to clean the table in her hospital room. She had previously been using the table as she painted a wooden box as a gift to her nurses in the hospital, local publication, the Oregonian has reported.
A spokesman for the Oregon State Fire Marshall has told ABC News that investigations are being carried out on a theory that the alcohol-based sanitizer could have been sparked on fire by static electricity.
Ireland is now being treated for third degree burns on her chest, neck, arms and earlobes at Legacy Oregon Burn Center, according to the Oregonian.
She will be forced to undergo a second skin graft on Thursday, which is also her 12th birthday. She has been listed as being in a serious condition.
The girl's father, Stephen Lane, has also told the Oregonian: "She's quite a tough one. She's been through more than any child I've ever heard of, and to still walk around with a smile on her face and enjoy the things of the day that are going on, and be a kid is to me pretty amazing."
Here is a video report into the shocking incident:
