Four people were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire, estimated to have caused about $5,000 in damage, disrupted two London Health Sciences Centre emergency departments.
A “small fire” broke out Wednesday around 6:20 p.m. and “briefly impacted both the Victoria Hospital and Children’s Hospital” emergency departments, LHSC said in an email statement Thursday.
“We did have one female patient and three staff members who were treated for minor smoke and fire extinguisher inhalation,” said London Fire Department deputy chief Gary Bridge.
When firefighters arrived at Victoria Hospital, smoke and flames were visible, Bridge said, adding that LHSC staff and firefighters acted promptly to extinguish the blaze.
Damage was estimated at about $5,000, which Bridge described as essentially “the price of a hospital bed.”
Bridge did not say how the fire started, noting the cause remains under investigation by London police.
“One person was charged criminally” in connection with the fire, London police Sgt. Sandasha Bough said. Police did not provide any additional details about how the fire started.
LHSC confirmed a “code red” was issued and safely cleared, and said staff assisted firefighters in extinguishing the fire.
“We recognize that incidents like this can be concerning for patients, families, our staff and the community,” LHSC said in the statement.
“We want to reassure the public that our hospitals remain safe for care and that we have protocols in place to safely address these types of situations,” the statement added.