A&E remains shut at London hospital after huge fire ‘destroys’ room

The A&E department of a large London hospital remains closed after a fire broke out yesterday and destroyed a room.

Croydon University Hospital was forced to evacuate 100 patients and staff after the blaze started yesterday afternoon.

Four fire engines attended the scene in London Road, Croydon, at around 3pm.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was able to get the fire under control by 5.07pm, and nobody was injured. 

But firefighters said one ground floor unit of the hospital was ‘100% destroyed’ as a result. 

While it’s understood the fire was contained in one clinic room, soot and smoke spread to other areas meaning the department is now shut for ‘extensive cleaning and safety repair’.

The A&E department has remained shut as of this morning, but the rest of the building is now open.

The hospital issued an update in the early hours of this morning on Twitter: ‘Thanks for all your comments and shares.

‘Our A&E currently remains closed following a fire but all other hospital departments, including surgery and outpatient clinics are open. 

‘Patients are encouraged to attend appointments as planned.’

A spokesperson for Croydon Health Services NHS Trust had said in a statement yesterday: ‘We are currently managing an incident at Croydon University Hospital following a fire in our Emergency Department. 

‘We are happy to confirm that all of our patients and staff are safe, and the fire is out.

‘However, due to the damage caused, our Emergency Department will remain closed temporarily. Our staff and the London Fire Brigade responded quickly to the alarm, which was raised at 2.58pm.

‘A total of 80 patients were safely evacuated from the Emergency Department to continue their care in other parts of the hospital, and we have discharged those patients who are well enough to go home.

‘Whilst we work to assess and repair the damage, we would urge anyone in our local community who needs urgent and emergency care to contact NHS 111 for advice and to be directed to the nearest services available to them.

‘Further updates will be issued in due course.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.