A patient on oxygen at Hi-Desert Medical Center was injured and started a small fire yesterday after he lit a cigarette while in his bed. According to Joshua Tree firefighters, the bed caught on fire about 2:15 p.m. The patient, identified only as being in his 50s, suffered inhalation burns and burns to his body. About seven hospital staff were treated for smoke inhalation as a safety precaution. The entire hospital is a no-smoking zone. The County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments are investigating.
