LONDON, Jan 2: Patients were evacuated on Wednesday as a renowned London cancer hospital was ravaged by a major fire, emergency services and witnesses said.
No casualties were reported at the Royal Marsden Hospital in west London, after over 100 firefighters and a fleet of at least 10 ambulances rushed to tackle the blaze.
Smoke and flames billowed high into the air after the fire erupted in the top floor of the hospital, the first in the world dedicated to the study and treatment of cancer.
The fire destroyed a large part of its roof, and firefighters took several hours to bring it fully under control. But by nightfall managers confirmed that everyone was out of the hospital, which has 800 staff.
“All patients and staff have been evacuated safely,” said Cally Palmer, chief executive of the hospital, adding: “We have no idea what caused the fire at this stage.” Some 79 bed-based patients were moved to other hospitals, while those who could walk were taken to a nearby church while staff worked out what to do with them, she said.The hospital was relatively empty because many patients had returned home for the Christmas and New Year period, said Palmer.
Two patients were undergoing surgery when the fire broke out, but managers said they were able to interrupt the procedures, and transfer them to nearby hospitals.
Other patients were transferred in wheelchairs or on foot if they could walk.“Patients were carried on mattresses from the various hospital exits past my pub,” added Iain Heggie, owner of the Crown pub next to the hospital. “They were covered by blankets and others were walking.” Some 125 firefighters and 25 fire engines were dispatched to deal with the blaze, London Fire Brigade said.
Dr. Peter Blake, who works in radiotherapy, said he thought the blaze started in the roof of a new building, constructed in the late 1980s to add to older Victorian buildings.
“The roof is falling in, and there are bits falling off on to the outside,” he said.
“The fire started at the top of the building in the plant room as far as we can see. That’s where the air conditioning system is. The problem now is that there is smoke coming through everywhere.” With the Institute of Cancer Research, the Royal Marsden forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe, seeing more than 40,000 patients from the UK and abroad each year.
A spokeswoman from the Institute of Cancer Research said some work would be disrupted due to the blaze.
“It’s too early to tell what kind of setback we will experience, and we haven’t got those details yet,” he said.—AFP
LONDON, Jan 2: Patients were evacuated on Wednesday as a renowned London cancer hospital was ravaged by a major fire, emergency services and witnesses said.
