University Hospital Southampton has praised the actions of staff and firefighters following a serious fire that broke out at around 5:30 am and relocated 502 patients to other areas of the hospital and other hospitals in the area. Patients were safely evacuated within 40 minutes, with no injuries reported.
The fire, which was caused by an electrical fault, destroyed the endoscopy unit and caused fire, smoke and water damage to several wards. Around 200 beds remain unavailable, resulting in some elective procedures being cancelled.
University Hospital Southampton's chief executive David French said: "I can only imagine how scary that must have been for everybody involved but my staff did an amazing job and I'm really proud of them."
Work is now underway to identify solutions to ensure continuity of care for patients who rely on the service. Mr French said the cost of repairs is expected to run into tens of millions of pounds.
Despite the impact, the hospital continues to operate as a major regional trauma centre and is maintaining critical services, including cardiac and cancer care, while work continues to restore affected facilities.
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