Authorities: 1 dead, 3 hurt in hospital fire

Preliminary information indicates a spark and fire at a North Carolina hospital that killed a patient and injured three workers occurred during a defibrillation, a procedure typically used to deliver an electric shock to the heart, according to authorities.

Spokesman Jim Jones of the state Department of Health and Human Services didn’t elaborate on the specifics of what happened. He said in an email that both the spark and fire took place during a defibrillation early Tuesday at Durham Regional Hospital.

Defibrillation is generally used to re- establish a normal heart rhythm. Fire officials investigating the blaze have not said what caused the fire.