Investigations into last night’s fire at Hairmyres Hospital are ongoing and we’re now able to bring you a little more information.
As reported last night, a fire started near the A&E in the ICU unit and Ward One. Emergency services were alerted at around 10pm. Three fire engines responded to the incident, with Police Scotland also in attendance.
As our eye witness reported, the fire began on the COVID ICU ward and police ended up cordoning off the area, whilst people were safely evacuated. 13 people were in that ward, all safely evacuated. A few hours after we posted, emergency services had fully extinguished the fire and the fire service, later declared the site as safe.
A significant fire in a hospital is obviously a story requiring sensitive handling. We took great care to only publish the confirmed facts and avoid rife speculation elsewhere on the internet. Additionally, we chose not to publish pictures of the fire itself until more was known today and it could be confirmed that people were safe. Site director at the hospital, Russell Coulthard, issued a statement today.
He commented, “Site staff immediately raised the alarm and all patients were safely removed from the area. All patients have been managed safely, with patients within the ward and the adjacent wards moved to other parts of the hospital. No patients have been transferred off site.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Operations Control mobilised three appliances to the scene, where crews assisted NHS partners with an evacuation of three wards as they worked to extinguish the fire on the first floor. Three casualties were assessed by hospital staff. Firefighters left after making the area safe.”
As the news circulated today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “My thoughts are with everyone caught up in what would have been a frightening incident @wearehairmyres last night. The reports I’ve had about the fire make very clear that staff responded heroically to ensure the safety of patients. Thank you to them.”
We hope everybody affected by this fire is well and gets over their shock quickly.
Please be aware, due to the damage and disruption of the fire, emergency patients are being diverted to the most appropriate hospitals.
