I had the same thing happen with a mole on my arm and I was bone dry (of liquor). The doctor had used alcohol to deaden the place and then touched an electrocautery to it.
Rather spectacular for a few moments. But the alcohol quickly burned itself out and the doctor was apologetic. I only lost some arm hair.
Dang. You know... hospitals just scare me. I hope I just grow old and die in my sleep like Grandpa (not awake and screaming, like the passengers in his car.) Old joke but you know what I mean.
A brief story an OBGyn friend of mine told me. When he was in residency at John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas he was working the clinic. An 18 year old young woman, Mexican, (did not speak English) came in with condyloma accuminata (Venereal Warts). As this was his first year of training, the old nurse, who had done this for many, many years, told him....what the doctor ususally does is burn off the small ones. As he had been graduated for about a month, he said, "Yes, yes, of course,...that is what we need to do", not having a clue what he was doing. So, they put her in stirrups, had a translator roughtly explain what was being done. Charlie (the first year OBGyn friend) injected the area locally with lidocain, then wiped the perineum with alcohol, and fired up the electrocautery....and achieved ignition....he set her pubic hair on fire....with a poof. The poor patient came out of the stirrups and ran down the hall and thru the double swinging doors, and to hear Charles tell it, she was never seen again, except for that little contrail following her through the doors. Now, I am sure he, being the great story teller that he is, told the story 'close' to what actually happened, with a little artistic license. But he did have us all howling.
This patient, referenced in this article, has a problem, which she will probably get over. It has been, in the field of surgery, that 'fire hazards' of many sorts have existed, many from the advent of the early anesthetics used in the OR. There have been fires reported from gas escaping from the colon during a colon resection. Lighting farts, have been a long cherished tradition amongst teenagers, but to ignite colonic gas during surgery has been serious in the past.