Great Ormond Street Fire

The All In London Blog

A fire broke out early Monday at one of Britain's biggest children's hospitals, injuring four firefighters and forcing the hospital's cardiac wing to evacuate.

The fire began on the fifth floor in the Great Ormond Street Hospital's cardiac wing. Two dozen patients were evacuated to other parts of the hospital. No patients or staff were injured, the hospital said.

Patients scheduled for outpatient procedures Monday were sent home and non-urgent surgeries were canceled but were expected to resume Tuesday.

The injured firefighters were sent to another hospital, and the fire was under control by late morning.

A gas cylinder is suspected to have been involved in the fire, although the exact cause of the blaze was under investigation.

The hospital was founded in 1852 as the Hospital for Sick Children, making it the first hospital providing beds specifically for children in the English-speaking world.

In his will, author J.M. Barrie bequeathed the hospital the copyrights to his children's classic "Peter Pan."

Source: Associated Press


If you would like to make a donation to the Great Ormond Street Charity, you can do so by clicking this link: www.gosh.org

Posted Date
Sep 30, 2008 in The All In London Blog by All In London