Illinois hospital fire accident claims 65-year-old's life

Marion, IL: An elderly woman who suffered injuries from a fire accident at Heartland Regional Medical Center reportedly died six days after the incident.

Janice Diane McCall reportedly died from thermal burns from a fire that happened while she was a patient at Heartland, theSoutherner.com reports. She was then transferred to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

Marion fire chief Jack Reed said that he has visited with Heartland administrators and reported that the origin of the incident has yet to be determined.

"It may have involved a hospital gown she had on," Reed told theSoutherner.com "We don't know what may have flashed the fire on or within the patient."

Heartland reported that it appears the fire accident may have lasted from 10 to 15 seconds in a small area and was immediately extinguished by operating room personnel. No other injuries were reported.

Hospital administrators are also investigating the incident and interviewing members of the staff who were present in the operating room.

According to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, anywhere between 100 to 200 fires occur each year in hospital operating rooms.