Hospital fire leads to evacuation and extensive damage
A fire that led to the evacuation of patients and staff at Ninewells hospital in Dundee is believed to have been caused by a faulty light fitting.
The fire broke out in a nurses’ changing area situated on level 5 in the main supply block at around 11.45am on Thursday. 9th September 2010. Hundreds of employees – mainly administrative staff – evacuated the building for around two hours.
A number of patients were temporarily evacuated from the day surgery area and radiology department. The hospital cancelled its elective surgery list for the rest of the day.
Around 35 firefighters tackled the blaze for around two hours. The 20m x 30m changing and locker room area, which also included a carousel system for supplying uniforms, suffered more than 50% damage to the building and contents. Operating theatres on the floor above were affected by smoke.
Brian Main, site manager for Ninewells, said: “Firefighters attended the fire and quickly extinguished the blaze. The damage has been extensive and the changing room gutted but thankfully, no one was injured.
