Burning car forces Dubai hospital to evacuate patients

2am incident involving visitor’s vehicle in facility’s parking lot handled swiftly

Aprivate hospital evacuated patients yesterday morning after black smoke from a burning car entered the building.

Aster DM Healthcare did not say how many patients were affected by the evacuation, but confirmed that no one was injured in the incident at its Aster Hospital in Mankhool.

The incident, which took place at 2am in the hospital’s parking lot, was quickly brought under control by emergency personnel who also helped transfer patients to another facility.

In an official statement to Gulf News, Aster DM Healthcare said: “At 2am last night, a visitor had arrived in his car at Aster Hospital in Mankhool. Before entering the ramp leading to the car park he realised that the car was about to catch fire. He immediately left the car on the ramp and fled the premises. On noticing the flames, our security team immediately came forward to control the fire and managed to extinguish it quickly. However, the smoke emanating from the fire had entered the hospital building.”

Hospital staff immediately alerted Dubai Police, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services and Dubai Civil Defence. “As a proactive precautionary measure, our patients admitted at the facility were shifted to our Aster Hospital in Al Qusais. No one has been injured in the incident and the hospital is back to being fully functional today,” said the statement.

“We are thankful to Dubai Police, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services and Dubai Civil Defence for their exemplary service and assisting us in shifting our patients. The safety and health of our patients are of primary importance for us. All our efforts will always be directed towards ensuring the best quality care for them,” the statement added.