News / fire
Maternity hospital fire caused by solar panel fault
A fire that broke out at St Michael’s Hospital on Thursday was caused by a fault in the solar panels on the roof.
The Southwell Street hospital which provides maternity services, started evacuating after a fire started just before 4.50pm, causing massive plumes of black smoke to fill the sky.
More than 70 mothers some carrying their babies, alongside many pregnant women were rushed to the University of Bristol’s Life Sciences Building on nearby Tyndall Avenue that was used as a temporary refuge.
Women going into labour were helped into ambulances for some privacy and care as hospital staff ran up and down St Michael’s Hill with blankets, airway and breathing equipment, drugs, and fluids.
While partners and friends to the mothers waited helplessly outside for updates.
At 5.25pm, the fire service confirmed that the fire had been safely extinguished and reported no injuries.
Total Roof System-Bauder SOLA
After an investigation was carried out Avon Fire & Rescue Services’ Fire Investigation Team have since established the cause of the fire to be accidental due to a fault in the solar panels, on the roof of the building.
Bauder, the company behind the solar panels have said: “We acknowledge there was a fire on the maternity ward roof on St Michael’s Hospital and appreciate the responses of Avon Fire & Rescue Services’ and its Fire Investigation Team to bring the hospital and the maternity ward back into full operation so promptly.
“We offer our full support to the investigation team where required and until we have discussed this with them and until further analysis is carried out, we have no further comment.
View this post on Instagram
Professor Jeremy Tavaré, pro vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, said: “We’re immensely proud of our staff’s response, acting swiftly to welcome patients and hospital staff into our Life Sciences building while emergency services tackled the fire.
“Our campus, school and faculty teams immediately got to work to provide a safe and welcoming space, alongside basic supplies like blankets, food and water, during what must have been an incredibly stressful and worrying time for all involved.
“While the NHS and emergency services are the real heroes, I witnessed first-hand the amazing care and compassion shown by our staff and cannot thank them enough.”
We have reached out to Bauder for a comment.
Main photo: Rob Browne
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
