A large fire severely damaged the Orthopedic Institute at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Dickson City (Pa.) on Feb. 4, prompting a full evacuation of the hospital, according to a Feb. 5 report by Fox affiliate WOLF.
Flames had breached the institute’s roof by the time crews arrived around 9:40 p.m. Firefighters responded immediately as hospital staff, EMS and police evacuated all four floors, including the emergency department. No injuries were reported.
A total of 77 patients were evacuated, triaged and relocated to area hospitals, according to The Times-Tribune. Geisinger confirmed in a statement to the publication that its hospitals were caring for patients “associated with the incident.” As of Feb. 5, 12 patients had been transferred to Geisinger Community Medical Center and one to Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-based Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, the health system expressed gratitude to those involved in the evacuation effort.
“We are deeply grateful to our colleagues and emergency response partners whose swift, coordinated actions helped protect and safely relocate more than 70 patients, their visitors and the staff members caring for them,” the system said. “The professionalism and preparedness of our staff and first responders was critical in ensuring everyone’s safety.”
The fire was contained to the Orthopedic Institute, but smoke reached the third and fourth floors of the main hospital and the kitchen sustained water damage. In a Facebook update, the Dickson City Fire Department said the fire originated in the roof of the original building known as Scranton Orthopedics, which was attached to the newly constructed hospital facility.
The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Unit will investigate the origin and cause of the fire, according to the department.
Lehigh Valley Health Network’s mitigation team is assessing damage to determine next steps for repairs.
The hospital remains temporarily closed while teams conduct thorough damage assessments and plan for a safe reopening.
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