A fire that broke out in a hospital room at Floridsdorf Clinic overnight on Saturday was caused by a patient receiving oxygen therapy who attempted to smoke, leaving him with burns to his face and neck.

The sprinkler system was immediately activated, while on-duty staff responded promptly, according to the Vienna Health Association (WIGEV).

The patient is believed to have lit a cigarette while in bed. Although his oxygen supply had been disconnected, the room remained saturated with oxygen, meaning a single spark was enough to ignite the blaze.

“The hospital’s fire brigade responded in exemplary fashion,” said Vienna’s professional fire service. By the time emergency crews arrived, the fire was already under control. “We carried out ventilation measures and soaked up the sprinkler water,” said fire service spokesman Christian Feiler.

The man has since been moved to a monitoring ward. No one else was in the room at the time.

Two security staff and four clinical employees were examined and treated for possible smoke inhalation. Thirty patients from the affected ward were relocated to other units within the hospital.