Hospital fires soar by nearly a fifth compared with last year, shock NHS figures reveal

HOSPITAL fires soared by nearly a fifth compared with last year, NHS figures show.

Blazes broke out in 1,372 buildings — a rate of almost four a day.

Nearly 280 NHS sites also suffered from serious flooding, a rise of 59 per cent.

And cases of hospitals classed as being too warm hit a record 6,822, up by a quarter on the previous year.

Clinical areas are not ­supposed to exceed 26C (78.8F), the temperature at which vulnerable patients cannot cool themselves.

The Lib Dems tonight called on health ministers to fix outdated NHS buildings and improve their resilience to heatwaves and extreme weather events.

Lib Dem Health Spokesperson Daisy ­Cooper said: “This sharp rise in flooding, fires and overheating must act as a wake-up call to ministers to fix crumbling hospital buildings before it’s too late.

“Every day, people are being treated in old and dilapidated buildings.

“This is leading to countless incidents that pose a threat to the safety of patients and to staff, and needless disruption as wards have to be shut down.”