By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A late-night hospital fire in Pennsylvania forced the evacuation of patients after flames were discovered on the roof of a medical facility.
• Fire crews conducted interior and exterior operations amid heavy smoke and high heat conditions.
• No serious injuries were reported; firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control.
• Fire officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
PENNSYLVANIA — Fire crews responded late Monday to a hospital fire in Pennsylvania that prompted the evacuation of patients and visitors after smoke and flames were reported on the facility’s roof.
Emergency dispatchers received the first call shortly before midnight, and fire units arrived to find visible fire conditions on the roof and smoke spreading through the upper floors of the building.
Hospital staff and first responders coordinated the safe evacuation of patients to designated staging areas outside the facility. Firefighters advanced hose lines and conducted roof and interior operations to contain and extinguish the blaze.
Fire officials said crews encountered challenging conditions, including heat and smoke that required defensive tactics and close coordination with hospital personnel.
No serious injuries to patients, staff or firefighters were reported. All evacuated occupants were accounted for, and medical teams evaluated individuals for smoke exposure as a precaution.
The fire department is leading an active investigation into the cause and origin of the fire, and the hospital’s operations were temporarily relocated while structural and smoke damage assessments continue.