An elderly Dalton man was injured Wednesday afternoon in a fire at an apartment complex. He was transported to a burn center for treatment.
The Dalton Fire Department was dispatched to the apartments at 2315 Sir Lancelot Place at 4:37 p.m. on Wednesday with a report of a man injured in a fire. Firefighters arrived on scene three minutes later. A preliminary investigation of the incident indicates that the victim, a 75-year old man, 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. The fire was limited to the recliner as maintenance workers contained it with a water hose until firefighters arrived.
The man was taken to Erlanger in Chattanooga with third degree burns reported on approximately 75 percent of his body. He was later moved to a burn center. His current condition is unknown.