Man burns to death in hotel fireplace

A man has died after falling into an open fireplace at a hotel in central Victoria, police say.

Police said the 49-year-old man had been sitting alone on the fireplace ledge in front of a fire in the Kangaroo Flat Hotel beer garden in Bendigo.

Shortly after 7.45pm (AEST) Monday a hotel staff member noticed that the man, standing about eight metres from the fireplace, was on fire, police said.

Staff extinguished the blaze with a garden hose.

Rural Ambulance Victoria spokeswoman Gabrielle Degenhardt said paramedics treated the man at the scene about 8pm before he was rushed to the Bendigo Hospital.

He was then airlifted to Melbourne's The Alfred hospital in a critical condition with burns to 65 per cent of his body, including his face and torso, she said.

The man died at 2.45am.

Hotel management refused to comment when contacted on Tuesday morning.

Constable John McIlath of Bendigo Police said the brick fireplace was built into a side outdoor wall of the beer garden, with a hearth raised off the ground for patrons to sit on.

He said a fire guard had not been in use when the man caught on fire.

"There is a guard, it's a removable guard, but it's not known who had removed it," Const McIlath said.

The man was still conscious when police and ambulance crews arrived on the scene.

Any alcohol consumed by the man would not be known until the toxicology report was completed during the post mortem examination, he said.

He said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Worksafe investigators who attended the scene on Monday night were satisfied that the hotel had taken appropriate steps to safeguard the fire, Const McIlath said.

ninemsn, 19 Aug 2008

• Fire guard was NOT in use,
  

• it is removable and has been removed.

• NO steps were taken to safeguard the fire, and Worksafe is satisfied with that ??? !!! ??? !!!
  

Who cares right? Probably some drunk that died anyway.

The question that begs to be answered is who's payroll is the Worksafe Officer on anyway?