Maryland Hospital Patient Critical After Lighting Cigarette

Maryland authorities say a 60-year-old man is in critical condition after lighting a cigarette in his hospital room.

Investigators say the Steven K. Bock ignited his oxygen mask and surrounding bedding material when he lit the cigarette Saturday night in his third-floor room at Harford Memorial Hospital.

Hospital staff told responding firefighters that pulled a fire alarm after hearing a patient scream ``fire!''

Hospital workers were able to quickly extinguish the fire, but Bock was transferred to Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

Authorities say that while oxygen is not flammable and will not explode, an oxygen-enriched environment can cause flammable materials to ignite more readily and burn at a faster rate than normal.