A Chattanooga woman has been charged with Reckless Endangerment following a fire at Parkridge Medical Center caused by her smoking in her hospital bed. Camelia Hutchinson, 41, was arrested in connection with the incident on June 10, 2021. She endangered other patients and staff members in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit when she lit a cigarette while on oxygen. It caused a small fire that activated the sprinkler system and filled the hospital floor with smoke.
The sprinklers extinguished most of the flames, but there was still a small fire on Hutchinson’s bed. Hospital staff members took immediate action, rescuing Hutchinson and putting out the remainder of the fire with extinguishers. Other employees rushed to close the doors to other patients’ rooms to protect them from the smoke and assisted in evacuating patients to another area of the hospital.
Hutchinson was left with burns under her arm and on her side. Multiple rooms in the SICU sustained smoke and water damage. It was a jarring experience for other patients recovering from surgery and for Parkridge’s team working that night.
“There are consequences to your actions. She knew that smoking was not permitted in that hospital or any hospital. On top of the extensive damage she caused and injuries she sustained, she now faces criminal charges. I hope this sends a message to the public about just how serious it is to smoke around oxygen and inside of a medical facility,” said Captain Anthony Moore with the CFD’s Fire Investigation Division.
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