Fire crews were sent to Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Darby on Tuesday about 4:45 p.m. at first for a fire alarm, then they found a smoking HVAC unit on the sixth floor.
According to the fire radio traffic, personnel made their way up to the floor and found the stand-alone HVAC unit. They were in the process of pulling the unit at 5 p.m. and did have embers dropping on the crew members, according to radio traffic.
Collingdale Fire Company on the Fitzgerald Mercy call on Tuesday afternoon. (COURTESY OF COLLINGDALE FIRE COMPANY)
The HVAC unit was removed and the incident was placed under control at 5:17 p.m., with ventilation in progress, according to radio traffic.
Darby Fire Company issued this reported on Tuesday evening:
“Company 4 just cleared a reported building fire at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital. Squad 4 and Ladder 16 was first alerted for a fire alarm. When units arrived on scene they reached the 6th floor to find a smoke condition. Captain 4 filled the box and established the Darby Command. Units found a ceiling mounted HVAC unit on fire. The working fire dispatch companies were requested for additional manpower. The fire was quickly extinguished, and conditions were isolated to the 6th floor. The 6th floor is currently vacant, no patients or staff were affected. The fire department has since cleared the scene, and the hospital is open as normal!”
Originally Published: October 7, 2025 at 5:03 PM EDT