Ireland Lane, an 11 year-old girl hospitalized for a head injury, was the victim of what authorities think was spontaneous combustion owed to a combination of flammable hand sanitizer and static electricity, an Oregon news agency reports.
Lane, a cancer survivor, suffered severe burns requiring skin grafts and burn treatment to her chest, neck, arms and earlobes after the accident in the Portland hospital on February 2. Her father, Stephen, who was asleep in the room at the time, helped put out the blaze with his own body.
"She still has bad dreams, but she doesn't recall the actual incident, which from my perspective is very good," Stephen told The Oregonian.
The paper says Avagard D, the hand sanitizer blamed for the blaze, is 61 percent alcohol and comes with warning that it should not be used near a flame.
In the past six years, Lane has beaten kidney cancer twice. "She's quite a tough one," her dad added.
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Political News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.