Fire victim flown to burn center

Fire late yesterday afternoon critically burned a man at his Timberlake community, Townville area home in OconeeCounty.  EMS and First Responders discovered a man who had been burned in a flash fire while smoking cigarettes and using a medical oxygen device.  The burn victim was carried by helicopter to the regional burn center at Augusta, Georgia and it is there, according to Oconee Fire Chief Charlie King, he man remains hospitalized. While oxygen itself is not flammable, it does allow for materials to ignite and burn more readily. The Oconee County Emergency Services and the National Fire Protection Association recommend the following tips to keep you safe while using home oxygen: -Never smoke in a home where oxygen is in use

-Post “No Smoking” signs in and outside of your home

-Keep all oxygen sources away from oxygen. This means matches, lighters, candles, gas stoves, appliances, electric razors and hair dryers should remain 10 feet away from the point where the oxygen comes out

-Do not wear oxygen while cooking

-Make sure the home has working smoke detectors

-Have a home escape plan with to ways out of every room and an outside       meeting place. Practice this plan twice a year.