Fatal Hawaii ambulance fire due to oxygen device

Preliminary results from an investigation Ambulance fire The fire that killed a patient and injured a paramedic last month appears to have started with an oxygen device that was routinely used. Authorities in Hawaii said Wednesday.

A 91-year-old patient died and a 36-year-old paramedic was seriously injured in an Aug. 24 fire when flames engulfed the back of an ambulance in a Kailua Hospital parking lot.

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“Based on the preliminary results of this investigation … the fire has been classified as accidental and originated from a portable oxygen regulator assembly,” Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon “Kalani” Howe said at a news conference. “The exact and definitive cause of this fire cannot be determined within the jurisdiction of the Honolulu Fire Department.”

Dr. Jim Ireland, director of emergency services for the city and county, said the injured paramedic reported hearing a loud noise as he was attaching a breathing device called CPAP, which stands for continuous positive airway pressure, to the back. of the ambulance from the oxygen source.

“It is reported that when the paramedic connected the CPAP oxygen line to the portable oxygen cylinder, there was a sound described as a pop, followed by a bright flash of light along the back of the ambulance. Immediately engulfed in smoke and fire,” Ireland said.

He said the emergency medical technician driving the ambulance reported hearing the same sound before the fire.

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The city hired investigators from the Emergency Care Research Institute, a private, nonprofit firm that specializes in evaluating medical devices, to help the fire department. Cause of fire.

Ireland said an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing and a final report will be released once completed.