A fire in the intensive care unit at one of Perth’s major hospitals has left four people needing medical treatment and forced the evacuation of the ICU.
The fire at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth’s south was reported just after 10am within a self-contained room in the ICU.
The hospital said the blaze did not spread beyond the room, but that there was some water damage and “smoke impact”.
Because of that, the hospital said “some services will remain temporarily closed while remedial works are undertaken”.
“Three staff members and a patient are undergoing clinical assessment,” a spokesperson for the South Metropolitan Health Service said.
Firefighters got the blaze under control within half an hour. (ABC News)
The spokesperson later confirmed all four were stable.
Disruption to hospital services
The hospital said “cautionary but necessary actions” were being taken, including patient relocation from the impacted ward, short-term ambulance diversions, and disruption to some surgical and outpatient services.
“The Emergency Department remains open and accepting patients presenting with medical emergencies,” the hospital said.
“For now, paediatric and adult emergency patients will share a facility.
“Non-urgent visitors are urged to postpone their visit to the hospital, while our staff work to return services to normal.”
This afternoon, a South Metropolitan Health Service spokesperson said remediation and recovery efforts underway at Fiona Stanley were progressing well, and services were “steadily returning to normal”.
“From Friday 21 August, all outpatient clinics and elective surgeries will proceed as scheduled,” they said.
“The Paediatric Emergency Department remains on ambulance bypass while restoration work continues, with paediatric walk-in patients continuing to be cared for in the Adult Emergency Department until it is safe to return to the dedicated facility.
“Importantly, the three staff members and one patient affected by the incident are stable and receiving appropriate care and support.”
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services said the cause of the fire was electrical.