Cause of Southampton General Hospital fire revealed with several wards damaged as QA experiences "high demand"
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The cause of a devastating fire which ripped through Southampton General Hospital has been revealed - with surrounding medical facilities experiencing “high demand”.
Firefighters rushed to the west wing of Southampton General Hospital at around 5.30am on February 1. Around 200 patients had to be evacuated as the blaze was contained. No injuries were reported from the scene.
The cause of the inferno has now been confirmed, after pictures and video clips showed the devastation it left in its wake. A spokesperson for University Hospital Southampton said it remains on “major incident” as the response continues.
They added: “The building has now been handed back to the Trust by the fire service, who have concluded their investigation and confirmed the cause of the fire was electrical. A number of our wards remain closed due to fire, smoke or water damage following the incident, with 200 bed spaces currently unavailable.
“In the immediate response, 502 patients were quickly moved to safe areas across our hospital site by staff. Until Sunday evening, around 200 of those patients had to be cared for in public spaces, including corridors, as we worked to discharge patients, transfer some to other hospitals and repurpose other areas of our estate to enable us to continue to provide safe care. As we work to recover following the fire, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our staff, we have reopened our Emergency Department and resumed a limited amount of elective surgery, prioritising the most urgent cases.”
The majority of outpatient appointments are going ahead. Patients have been advised to continue to attend timed appointments unless they have been told otherwise. “Our teams are also working hard to reunite patients moved during the fire with their personal belongings,” they added. “We are asking people to please contact the Patient and Family Support Hub on 0800 4840135 to arrange collection.”
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust confirmed that Queen Alexandra Hospital is experiencing “high demand and disruption” following the blaze at Southampton General. They added that this is the case across all health services in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.