Over 100 patients were evacuated from Brockton Hospital in Brock, Mass. On Feb. 7 after a nine-alarm transformer fire broke out.
According to Boston 25, fire departments from surrounding counties were called to put out the fire as emergency crews worked to evacuate 160 patients. The fire was mostly extinguished by 9:30 a.m. but knocked out power to the building, forcing more evacuations.
It is believed that the fire was accidental, starting in the transformer room, CBS News reports. It is unclear how long the hospital plans to stay closed for. All elective scheduled procedures are canceled through Friday. A hazmat team is currently conducting air quality testing in the hospital due to a strong chemical smell in some areas.
“Thank you to all Signature Healthcare staff, local and state agencies and legislators who supported our patients and community yesterday. In the midst of the electrical fire emergency, we were able to transport over 160 patients to other area facilities safely without incident. We are immensely grateful to our staff and the support of our community partners,” Brockton Hospital said in a statement on their website. “Please be assured our priority is to get Brockton Hospital safely up and running as soon as possible to continue to support our community with the outstanding quality care they are accustomed to. The Signature Healthcare team along with the Brockton Fire Department are diligently working on an after-emergency assessment and plan to move forward.”
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market.