Woman dies in hospital blaze
Posted: January 18, 2015
Posted in: Medical Negligence Public Place Accidents Wrongful & Accidental Death
An elderly woman died after a fire broke out at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh. Fire crews were immediately called to the scene after the fire broke out in the Royal Victoria building at around 02:28. The fire crew managed to move fourteen patients from the ward to another complex, but a 75-year-old woman died as a result.
The Royal Victoria building is the part of the hospital that specialises in treating the elderly. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was immediately contacted through an automatic fire alarm call. Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the building and put out the small fire. Where they managed to save fourteen patients from the blaze, they were unable to save an elderly woman who died at the scene.
“our thoughts are with her family”
The cause of the fire is still not known. The beginnings of an investigation being carried out by the Police and fire service, however, have identified that the fire was not caused by faulty equipment. Melanie Johnson, NHS Lothian’s director of unscheduled care, said:
“We can confirm a fire occurred in part of one ward at the Royal Victoria Building during the course of the night … Sadly, a female patient has died, and our thoughts are with her family at this time. We are assisting emergencies services with their investigations.”
A police spokesman said that the fire service did everything they could to save the patients and followed all protocols faultlessly.
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