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Reformed smoker lights nose on fire

(Ridgway) A Log Hill resident is in stable condition today at St. Roscoe’s Hospital after reportedly lighting his nose on fire. The action, which took place on Wednesday morning while the victim was still half asleep, has been attributed to robotic behavior left over from many years of cigar smoking.

Melvin Jackhammer who, after ten years sans tobacco admits to still craving a smoke every so often, apparently lit the end of his nose mistaking it for a Nicaraguan cheroot in the early morning hours. At first only his nose hairs were ignited but it then became clear that his entire snout was ablaze encompassing the frontal sinuses and threatening the Pharyngeal Tonsil and even the little appreciated Eustachian Tube. 

Medical sources hint that this type of behavior is a result not of addiction to a substance but rather a psychological reliance on familiar repeated action associated with the practice of puffing.

“What a buzz!” yelped Jackhammer, as paramedics hauled him off. “I hated to create such a fuss over one nose but it could have happened to anyone. I just hope my sense of smell comes back.”

Jackhammer is expected to undergo simple plastic surgery to rebuild the affected cavity in the morning.

This the first smoker-related injury in the county since 1968 when a Cahone woman, visiting Cookie Tree Ranch, attempted to light up next to a propane tank causing a massive blast that set an out building and surrounding fields on fire. Although she survived the experience she suffered minor burns in addition to the loss some 60% of her body hair. Despite the harrowing to-do she still pounds two packs a day and at 96 has no plans to change her habits.

“That woman was nothing but sage trash,” said a neighbor who recalled the event. “She had no shame. Why she even wrote a book about it. Fortunately it was never made into a movie.”

– Mongo Congo