Auckland - A woman caught fire in a freak accident while giving birth in a New Zealand hospital, suffering burns to her lower body as doctors saved the baby with a rapid caesarean delivery.

Flammable swabbing solution is believed to have caused the fire at an Auckland hospital at the weekend, reports said Monday.

While the cause remains unknown, investigators believe an alcohol-based swabbing solution - used to sterilise parts of the body- may have accidentally ignited.

A spokesman for Waitakere Hospital said the baby was still in the uterus when the fire started.

Staff in the operating theatre are believed to have smothered the fire on the woman, who was anaesthetised with an epidural. Medical specialists then performed the caesarean immediately.
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