Elderly man suffers burns across whole body after using a lighter to open bag of chips
A 75-year-old man accidentally set himself on fire when trying to open a bag of crisps
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A pensioner has burnt his whole body after trying to use a lighter to open a bag of crisps.
The elderly man, from Georgia, US, could not open the packet so he decided to use a lighter to try and pry open the bag.
Bruce Frazier, spokesperson for the city of Dalton, Georgia, told the New York Post: “The victim… was using a lighter to open bags of chips which he was unable to do with his hands.
“While doing this, the man accidentally set himself on fire while sitting in a recliner.”
Crisps can be highly flammable
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The elderly man was sprayed with a hosepipe by nearby maintenance workers who tried to put out the flames.
Firefighters arrived three minutes later, where they discovered the man and the recliner he was sitting ablaze.
The 75-year-old was then taken to a hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Around 75 per cent of his body was covered in third-degree burns, city officials said.
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The man was then transferred to a specialist burns unit for additional care, where he is currently being treated.
Crisps are a highly flammable food because of their starchy and oily composition.
They are also high in calories and fat, which make them conducive to starting fires, according to a study conducted by the University of Greenwich.
“Due to their mix of starch and oil, chips provide an almost perfectly combustible material for fires,” reported VICE.
He tried to use a lighter to open the bag of crisps
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“Food and lifestyle blogs have pointed out on several occasions that your average sack of chips can actually be used as kindling in emergency situations.”
In 2016, a pair of Canadian teenagers caused millions of dollars worth of damage to a supermarket after setting a bag of crisps alight.
After entering Longo’s Supermarket in Vaughan, Ontario, the pair set a packet ablaze, placed it back on the self and then ran away.
A witness told Global News that the fire spread rapidly in a matter of seconds, causing over $2million worth of damage.
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