BRI hospital critical incident evacuation caused by electrical fault

A critical incident at Bristol’s main city centre hospital was caused by an electrical fault. The University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust (UHBW) confirmed that an electrical fault was the reason for the two fires that were discovered in the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) earlier this month that caused part of the hospital to be evacuated.

At just before 2pm on Friday, May 3, two fires broke out as patients had to be evacuated and wait outside the building in blankets. It's believed a small number of patients were moved from one area of the hospital to another due to power outages on the day.

A critical incident was declared at around 3.30pm and the public were told not to attend the hospitals in the city centre. The following day the critical incident was stood down after power was restored to all parts of the BRI.

READ MORE: Damning Ofsted for Bristol school where pupils fear 'fights and assaults'

READ MORE: Met Office issues seven hour thunderstorm weather warning for south west

In total the BRI emergency department was closed for six hours before opening to ‘urgent walk-in’ patients. The children’s emergency department remained open throughout.

It has now been reported that the electrical fault occurred in a service duct which then started the fires. UHBW confirmed that the fires were caused by the supposed electrical fault but did not confirm where the fire started. It is believed that there was minimal damage and there have been no known injuries.

Dr Rebecca Maxwell, the interim chief medical officer at the UHBW, said: “Thanks to the amazing efforts of our colleagues, we have made good progress in restoring our services and have now stood down our Internal Critical Incident.

“Our Emergency Departments are open for urgent and emergency patients. Patients with appointments should attend as planned unless we have contacted them directly, and we welcome visitors back to our hospitals.”

Avon Fire and Rescue confirmed that 14 fire engines attended the scene. These included crews from Temple, Bedminster, Southmead, Kingswood, Hicks Gate, Patchway and Avonmouth.

Want the latest Bristol breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.