A 74-year-old patient has spoken out to praise the actions of healthcare workers after she was forced to wait in a ward as a fire broke out outside a Somerset hospital.
The incident occurred at the emergency department of Weston General Hospital around 4pm on Monday, July 27. The department was evacuated and closed overnight.
May McManus said she was one of a handful of patients who had to wait in a ward for several hours as part of the evacuation plan, as smoke from the blaze outside seeped into the corridor.
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May told the Weston Mercury that she was due to be discharged for the hospital that day, but alongside with a few other patients was confined to a ward as part of a 'horizontal evacuation' plan.
She explained: "The evacuation and the alarm bells went off and the whole hospital had to be cleared.
"[The smoke was] coming right in through the corridors, I could smell and see it like it was right next to us."
She explained: "We managed to get along a corridor but we couldn't [go further]. We just had to stay within and hope for the best."
May said: "It was quite traumatic, the fact we were stuck. The smoke was pretty bad, [so] we knew we were quite near it."
It is understood that the fire occurred outside the main hospital building, with smoke drifting into some wards via open doors and windows. The hospital have confirmed that nobody was hurt during the incident.
Despite her terrifying experience, May has praised the quick-thinking actions of the "brilliant" hospital staff, saying: "They did put their lives on the line, they came back and looked after us.
"The doctors really risked themselves finding out the exit route [and] to get ventilators."
May said: "What the nurses had to do was absolutely tremendous.
"There was only three of us stuck with a couple of the nurses and the doctors, because they were rushing to make sure we were alright and the medication was there for us as well.
"They put themselves in danger for their patients, I feel like they should be highly commended, they were absolutely brilliant."
Stuart Walker, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust Hospital Managing Director for City & Weston, said: "We want to acknowledge and apologise for any distress caused by the fire which occurred at Weston General Hospital on Monday, July 27.
“All patients and colleagues were moved to safety in line with our robust fire protocols. This included relocating some patients within the hospital building so they could continue receiving care at a safe distance from the fire.
"While this was understandably a difficult experience, no-one was injured as a result of the fire, and the safety of patients and colleagues was our priority at all times. We’re deeply grateful to our brilliant colleagues for their actions, alongside emergency services, to ensure the safety of everyone present.”
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 4.12pm on July 27, crews from across Avon Fire & Rescue Service were called to reports of a fire at Weston General Hospital.
"Crews used breathing apparatus, jets, hose reels and specialist equipment to bring the incident under control and extinguish the fire.
"People were safely evacuated, with police and ambulance colleagues also in attendance."
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