Man critically hurt in Near North Side fire caused by smoking near oxygen tank

By Luke Wilusz

screen_shot_2018_11_23_at_11_45_56_am_e1542995227483.png — 170 W. Oak St. | Google Maps

A 68-year-old man was critically injured in a flash fire Friday morning in a Near North Side high-rise building.

The flash fire happened at 10:06 a.m. because of someone smoking while using an oxygen tank inside a second-floor apartment at 170 W. Oak St., according to Fire Media Affairs.

The man was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition with blisters and burns to his face, fire officials said.

The fire was out by the time firefighters arrived and the building was not evacuated, the fire department said.

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