One patient died Wednesday as a result of a fire that broke out in one of Israel's largest hospitals in the southern part of the country.
The fire broke out at in Be’er Sheva Soroka Medical Center’s one of internal medicine wards. Some 25 bedridden and intubated patients who were treated inside the ward were evacuated by the staff including their families and relatives.
The Israel Fire and Rescue Authority forces who arrived on the scene gained control of the fire, which according to a preliminary probe, was started as a result of a cigarette ember hitting one the patients’ beds that had an oxygen tank attached to it.
Alex Galper, who was visiting his mother at the hospital when the fire started, recalled: "One patient asked the staff for help because he was having trouble breathing. After a few seconds I heard him yelling, ‘help me,’ and when I ran over to him, I saw he was on fire.”
Galper said he yelled for help and attempted to put out the fire by spilling water at the patient. “Me and another patient were trying to put the fire out and I yelled for someone to bring a fire extinguisher. He caught on fire only seconds after he asked for nurses’ help.”
Lily Moyal, a patient in a ward located close by, said that she was sleeping when the hospital’s fire alarm began blaring. “I saw everyone running toward the door and yelling. I opened the door and saw smoke, everyone ran, there was chaos. The whole thing lasted for two hours, it was nerve-wracking.”
Fire and Rescue Authority said they received the call about the fire around 3:32am, and large forces were dispatched to the scene. They said the fire was likely accidental and that further investigation into the incident is needed.
Fire and Rescue Authority Commissioner Eyal Casspi also arrived on the scene alongside the forces. “The source of the fire was the patient's bed, we’re still investigating what caused it. A reaction between a gas tank in the room and a spark from a cigarette or cell phone was likely the cause.”
He added: “A cigarette or cell phone could be fatal for those who require oxygen tanks, and they should not be used by patients who use oxygen tanks at home.”
The Soroka Medical Center said that an investigation into the details of the incident is currently underway.
Soroka Medical Center’s Director General Dr. Shlomi Codish said: "This is a complex incident. One of the patients left to smoke outside, which likely caused a reaction between an ember and an oxygen tank, starting the fire.”