By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN — A 60-year-old man set himself on fire in a corridor by the elevators at Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn March 8.
Witnesses said the man entered the hospital from the parking lot about 10: 30 a.m., walked through the pharmacy to a corridor near the main elevators holding a bottle filed with gasoline.
Police said two employees were near the man when he started the fire and were able to stop the elevator doors from closing. The man set himself on fire when security arrived and employees were able to put it out quickly with a fire extinguisher.
No employees were injured, but one of the elevators sustained damage as a result of the fire.
“Security was notified and responded immediately,” Beaumont Hospital-Dearborn Spokeswoman Paula Rivera-Kerr said in a statement. “Their quick action prevented any other injuries from occurring and protected the employees in the main corridor.
“Dearborn police and fire are currently investigating the situation. It is unclear if this person was a patient or a visitor.”
The man was treated for second and third degree burns at the hospital before being transferred to Detroit Medical Center.
Police are investigating the incident.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected])