Fire at Udon Thani Hospital quickly contained, no injuries reported (video)
A fire broke out at a seven-storey building at Udon Thani Hospital, leading to the evacuation of patients by nurses and rescue services.
Swift action by fire services managed to control the blaze without any injuries or fatalities. The initial cause is suspected to be an electrical short circuit in a medicine dispensing robot’s control cabinet, with police investigating the exact cause of the fire.
Yesterday, March 18, emergency services in Udon Thani received reports of a fire at the seven-storey outpatient and administrative building of Udon Thani Hospital. The Udon Thani Rescue Foundation and fire trucks from Udon Thani Municipality responded quickly to the scene.
Upon arrival, thick black smoke was seen billowing from the second floor, which housed the pharmacy, and the fire was spreading to the third floor. Emergency personnel, nurses, and patients were urgently evacuated from the seven-storey building.
Firefighters worked rapidly to contain the blaze, managing to stop it from spreading further. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported.
However, fire services continued to spray water to disperse the smoke and prevent any potential reignition. Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire began in the pharmacy on the second floor of the administrative building at Udon Thani Hospital, and fire services remain vigilant for any further outbreaks.
Police Colonel Phattanawong Chanphon, Superintendent of Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, arrived promptly at the site. It was identified that the fire likely originated near a computer server in the pharmacy.
An ongoing investigation aims to confirm the precise cause. The colonel explained that after receiving the report, emergency personnel and fire trucks responded immediately, managing to extinguish the fire.
The suspected cause is a malfunction in the control cabinet of a robot designed to dispense medication, which the hospital had recently acquired, reported KhaoSod.
Doctor Olan Wiwattanachang, Deputy Director of Udon Thani Hospital, stated that the fire has been extinguished, but some damage was incurred. It is expected that the hospital will resume normal operations by tomorrow.
Further investigations will determine if the robot’s control cabinet was indeed the source of the fire.
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