Fire which closed a Staffordshire hospital's A&E was started 'deliberately'
Fire chiefs have confirmed a blaze at a hospital which led to patients being evacuated was arson – and criticised the person who started it.
The 'substantial blaze' at Royal Stoke University Hospital saw scores of patients in beds shifted outside.
The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), which also runs Stafford's County Hospital, was forced to warn people to stay away from the 24-hour A&E while the fire was raging.
A major incident was called when the blaze in the main building of the hospital started shortly after 6pm on Wednesday.
At the height of the incident there were 30 firefighters helping out hospital staff in evacuating patients.
Hundreds of patients and staff were led to safety as smoke filled the hospital's main building.
After an investigation, fire chiefs have revealed the blaze was deliberate and said this was 'very concerning'.
Staffordshire's deputy chief fire officer Rob Barber said: “The fact that this fire was deemed to be deliberate is very concerning and we are working closely with Staffordshire Police to aid their investigation into this incident.
“Due to the nature of the building and the amount of people involved, we assigned six appliances to the incident in order to deal with the fire and to help with the volume of patients who needed to be evacuated from the building.
“The professional way in which our crews dealt with the fire ensured that the fire did not spread and was contained to one area of the building.
“All services working together to ensured that the incident was dealt with quickly and patients were returned to wards as quickly as possible.
“Thankfully no one was seriously injured in the fire but one male was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
“Our crews remained at the scene throughout the night to carry out salvage operations to minimise the water damage in the affected area.”
The major incident was stood down at around 11.15pm as patients were returned to their wards.
A&E patients were being encouraged to stay away while the building was ventilated – but it has since reopened.
But hospital bosses were yesterday still urging patients to use the A&E for serious and life-threatening emergencies only.
Residents in Stafford regularly use the Stoke hospital after the A&E department at Stafford's County Hospital was downgraded from a 24 hour unit.
The hospital, on Weston Road, is now open between 8am and 10pm.
It meant residents in the Stafford area needing urgent treatment after 10pm had to travel to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, Walsall Manor Hospital or the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.
Patients were told to attend outpatient appointments yesterday unless contacted directly.
Anyone listed for theatre was urged to call the ward before travelling to their appointment.
The response to the major incident will be reviewed over the coming weeks to understand what lessons can be learned from the incident – which is in line with standard practice.
