OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A patient experiencing a medical emergency used a lighter to set fire to a mobile foam rubber bed in the emergency room of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge this morning, officials said. No one was injured, and an emergency room technician put out the fire with an extinguisher before firefighters arrived, Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said.
The fire, reported at 10:15 a.m., was limited to a patient room, according to a statement from a hospital spokeswoman.
There was no disruption in service, according to the statement.
Kerley said no one was evacuated, and estimated damages were less than $1,000.
“It was just a mess in that one room from the fire extinguisher,” he said.
Kerley said firefighters cleared the emergency room of smoke “and got the alarm system back in service.”
He said the hospital isn’t pressing charges against the patient.