50 firefighters converge on hospital to halt spread of blaze
‘PHASED EVACUATION’ SAW SMALL NUMBER OF PATIENTS AND STAFF MOVED TO SAFETY...
EMERGENCY crews were on scene within five minutes following calls to a fire at Coventry’s University Hospital, where a team of 50 firefighters managed to stop the blaze from spreading inside.
West Midlands Fire Service said the fire involved an extractor flue leading from a boiler in a plant room outside of the hospital’s West Wing, where the maternity unit is one the services located across the building’s floors.
The fire spread up and through the flue on the outside of the building, but luckily it did not enter the main building.
Some areas were evacuated with a number of patients being moved to other parts of the hospital.
University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) has praised staff and emergency services for their quick and effective action.
Fifty firefighters were called to the incident on Clifford Bridge Road in Walsgrave shortly after 8am. The team included nine fire engines and response vehicles, from eight West Midlands stations, plus one hydraulic aerial platform.
Station Commander Marc Hudson of West Midlands Fire Service said: “A phased evacuation took place, with a small number of patients and staff being moved to other parts of the site in line with plans for such an incident.
“Our crews extinguished the fire quickly and safely, using effective and assertive tactics. No-one was hurt, and those evacuated have been let back in. As well as tackling the fire, our priority was to help the hospital return quickly to business as normal and by mid-morning we were looking at scaling down our resources.”
Neil Twigger, who lives near to the hospital, said he could hear crackling and smell fire.
He told the Telegraph: “I popped outside about 9 and could hear a crackling sound so walked to the side of my garage and could see and smell the fire licking up the side of the chimneys at the side of the hospital behind the maternity
unit.” A spokesperson for the UHCW NHS Trust confirmed that it was “business as usual” following the fire.
A statement released yesterday read: “Following the earlier incident at the Trust we are now back to business as usual. “Our Trust value of Partnership came to the forefront today, and we are very grateful of our partners in the West Midlands Fire Service, ISS, Vinci, Coventry and Rugby Hospital Company and other NHS organisations who were quick to offer their help. We are very proud of our amazing staff whose quick action during the incident today has meant the incident was dealt with quickly and effectively.
“Please be reassured that our robust fire safety procedures which have been tested today have proved to be effective so we can assure patients, staff and visitors that the hospital remains safe.”
I popped outside about 9 and could hear a crackling sound... I could see and smell the fire licking up the side of the chimneys. Neil Twigger