Quick response by hospital staff and fire officers contains QEH fire

Swift action by Barbados Fire Service officers on Sunday morning helped to contain a fire at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, preventing what could have escalated into a major emergency at the island’s sole public tertiary healthcare facility.

When a Barbados TODAY team arrived at the Martindales Road, St Michael facility, scores of people had already evacuated the building.

Children lay in hospital beds outside the complex, some wearing oxygen masks. Newborn babies rested in bassinet trolleys supervised by staff, while mothers, who appeared to have recently given birth, sat nearby holding their babies. Visitors and hospital staff gathered around the compound as emergency protocols continued.

In a media briefing, officials said the fire service was alerted to the fire around 10:51 a.m., with crews arriving on scene seven minutes later. No one was injured.

“We had got a call for a structural fire at the QEH hospital,” said Henderson Nicholls, sub-officer at the Bridgetown Fire Station.

“The response [team comprised] myself and seven fire officers from the Bridgetown station, with water tenders two and seven, and one tender from the Bridgetown Port Station.”

Nicholls said firefighters were informed the blaze originated on the C floor, in Treatment Room One, prompting the deployment of two teams.

“At this point in time, the fire has been extinguished,” Nicholls said.

“Right now, we are carrying out smoke extraction from the ward above the C floor, carrying out extraction of the smoke that would have settled in that area.”

He said damage remained limited.

“We have one AC unit that was completely destroyed and one cabinet that has been burnt. The whole room is covered with soot. That’s the extent of the damage at this time.”

While the cause had not yet been confirmed, Nicholls said initial indications pointed to an electrical issue.

“Further investigations will be carried out at this point. It looks electrical at this point,” he said.

QEH communications specialist Shane Sealy said the fire occurred in a ward undergoing rehabilitation and not in active use.

He explained that while the fire remained contained, smoke travelled beyond the affected area.

“The ward is C8, and the smoke then would have spread to other floors,” he said.

Sealy said hospital staff acted quickly before the fire service arrived.

Addressing the scenes witnessed outside the hospital, Sealy said patient safety guided all decisions.

“We want to make sure, first and foremost, that patients, visitors, and our staff are safe, so while it may not have been the best look that you would want, it is a part of our contingency measures to make sure that life is spared for us.”

Chief Executive Officer Neil Clarke said he received notification one minute after the fire service received its call.

“Immediately, we put into place our virtual incident command room, and the executive director of the team came to the hospital,” Clarke said, noting that by the time he arrived, the situation was under control.

“Patients had been moved from six or seven areas, still confirming that, and we’re working our way through the wards and the areas that we evacuated now to confirm it’s safe to go back in.”

He said smoke, rather than flames, posed the primary concern.

“Only a small fire but a lot of smoke, so we need to make sure it’s safe for people to come back in,” Clarke said.

Clarke praised hospital staff for their response.

“It was the QEH staff who put the fire out and moved the patients into safety. They reacted as they should do and saved lives of patients by taking immediate actions.”

“Nobody was harmed. That’s the important thing. It was a fire which we’ve contained, and everything is safe.”

He said cleaning operations would continue throughout the day, with visiting hours temporarily adjusted.

“We’ve asked those who don’t need to come at 12 (midday) not to come because we’re still cleaning up inside,” Clarke said. “Four p.m., I expect we’ll be back to normal visiting.”

Patients evacuated from affected areas returned to cleared wards around 12:12 p.m., while others remained temporarily relocated pending further cleaning and air quality checks.