January 3, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Public Information Officer

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Nursing Home Resident in Stable Condition After Fire

A wheelchair bound nursing home resident that suffered second and third degree burns to more than 50 percent of his body after his clothes caught fire from a cigarette last night, is listed in stable condition this morning at Louisiana State University Medical Center (LSUMC) Burn Treatment Center.

South Park Guest Care resident William Price Cooper, 62, was in the hallway adjacent to a designated smoking area of the nursing facility when orderly Antwuan Wilsons, 24, said he heard cries of "fire, fire" and saw flames coming off of Cooper. Wilson, who grabbed a blanket, and 29-year-old nurses assistant Gwen Williams, using a fire extinguisher, were able to douse the blaze. When fire crews arrived, smoke from the fire and dust from the carbon dioxide extinguisher were coming out of the front of the building. Fire Captain Bill Duncan called for an extra department crew until he could determine the exact origin of the smoke.

Firefighters found Wilson on the floor of the hallway and started advanced life support measures. Paramedic Barry Seidel stated that Cooper was conscious and talking throughout the entire ordeal. "Considering the percentage, degree, and area of burns the patient’s mental status was remarkably clear," says Seidel.

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