A 72-year-old man died from burn injuries he suffered when his oxygen tank ignited while he was smoking at an assisted living center in Round Lake Beach.
The incident occurred around 4 p.m. on November 16 at Oak Hill Supportive Living, 76 East Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District responded to the assisted living facility after receiving an activated fire alarm.
An incident report said firefighters arrived and found the source of the alarm to be one of the rooms on the second floor.
They encountered light smoke in the hallway while being directed to the room by staff.
Firefighters found an injured man and called for an ambulance, the report said.
The fire was out prior to the fire department’s arrival but fire crews used water on the carpeted floor, where there was burn patterns, to ensure the fire was out.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said Brian Swanson, 72, of Round Lake Beach, suffered the burn injuries after his home oxygen device ignited.
The ignition occurred while Swanson was smoking, the medical examiner’s office said.
Swanson was transported to a local hospital and later transferred to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, which is a hospital that has a burn center.
Swanson died from complications of his thermal injuries on Friday morning, nearly a month after the incident.
The medical examiner’s office ruled his death an accident.
Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Fire Chief Greg Formica said Monday he was saddened to learn that the man had died.