'Was looking for a leak - set fire to oxygen tube.'

The husband suspected his oxygen breathing apparatus had a leak, so he lit a match to find it. And found it he did - and the device burst into flames.

The strange fire occurred in an apartment in the area 'Guldringen'/Goldring in Norrkoeping/Sweden where a 79-year old man live with his wife.

Found a Leak. The husband has a lung decease and was using an oxygen apparatus to aid his breathing. Earlier in the evening he suspected that the device did not function properly. So he lit a match. -"He said he had been looking for a leak. And obviously he found one." said Lars Engstroem attending officer at Norrkoeping policedepartemnt. "The device burst into flames instantly."

Fortunately his wife was in the next room and heard him calling for help. She then filled a jug with water, ran to him and pured it over the burning apparatus. The fire was extinguished but the couple suffered damage from smoke inhalation. -"They were quite OK, just a bit shook-up." said Lars Engstroem.

"The man was in luck that the oxygen-tube didn't explode", said Fire&Rescue. The old couple was taken to hospital for check-ups.

Submitted on 02/28/2012

Submitted by: Nalle / JS
Reference: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14440956.ab

Copyright © 2012 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
Funny, he COULD have used water to find the leak!! Thanks!

Candi said:
Definitely Keep: Honorable Mention
"I think there's a leak in my apparatus that transports a highly-flammable substances, so I'll use a MATCH to find it!" Thanks, Nalle!

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