Older man's fiery chip mishap. Georgia resident suffers severe burns opening snack bag
In Georgia, a 75-year-old man endured burns on 75 percent of his body while trying to open a bag of chips using a lighter. The "New York Post " reported this incident," citing local authorities.
9:53 AM EST, January 5, 2024
According to the city's communication director, Bruce Frazier, this event occurred in Dalton around 10:37 AM Eastern Time. "The victim was unsuccessful in conventionally opening the bag of chips, so he decided to use a lighter. The man inadvertently set himself on fire while sitting in a chair," a press statement elaborated.
Additional reports revealed that before the fire rescue personnel arrived, onsite maintenance staff attempted to douse the fire with a garden hose. The severely injured man was rushed to Erlanger Baroness Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with third-degree burns covering approximately 75 percent of his body.
Chips are considered a high-risk, flammable food due to their composition. The combination of starch and oil can react quickly to fire, as the Vice News site reported.
In May 2016, two Canadian teenagers set fire to a bag of potato chips in a supermarket in the city of Vaughan. Within mere minutes, the fire spread rapidly, and other bags of chips instantly caught fire. According to Vice, the damage to the store was estimated to be over 2 million dollars.
Source: New York Post, Vice
