Nursing home resident dies when pants catch on fire

LAKOTA, N.D. (KFGO) – Nelson County Sheriff Kurt Schwind says an unusual incident Friday at a Lakota nursing home led to the death of a resident.

Schwind says the man went outside to smoke and started a fire on the ground. Schwind says the man then attempted to put it out by driving over the flames with his mobility scooter when his pants caught fire. Schwind says it was windy and that was a factor in the man suffering severe burns. The victim was eventually transferred to a Twin Cities burn center where he died.

The fire remains under investigation but Schwind says the death appears to be accidental.