An overheated “electrical component” was responsible for an alert at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry this morning.
The entrance to the South Wing at Altnagelvin Hospital.
Access to the hospital was restricted as a result of the incident which occurred in the basement of the hospital’s South Wing, facing Drumahoe.
As a result, fire crews rushed to the hospital after an automated fire alarm was triggered.
No one was injured in the incident.
A spokesperson for Western Health Trust said it was working closely with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and, as a precautionary measure, was operating a “restricted access arrangement” in affected areas of the South Wing for “non essential” non essential visitors and traffic as well as some staff.
As a result, a number of outpatient services have been affected.
The spokesperson said the Trust was receiving regular updates from the Northern Ireland Fire Service that would enable a review of the “restricted access decision.”
The spokesperson said: “An incident occurred in the basement area of South Wing building at Altnagelvin Hospital first thing this morning, which activated an alarm. The incident affected only the basement plant area of the hospital.
“The Trust is working closely with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service and with engineers on site who have isolated the area affected by the incident.
“As a precautionary measure, the Trust is operating a restricted access arrangement in potentially affected areas of the South Wing for non-essential traffic, visitors and some staff.
“This will affect some outpatient services at this time. No patient or member of staff came to any harm as a result of the incident. ”
The spokesperson concluded: “Close communication with NIFRS, NIAS and PSNI continues and we are receiving regular updates from NIFRS to enable the Trust to regularly review the restricted access decision.”
Last November around 120 patients had to be evacuated from a number of wards in the hospital after a fire broke out on the hospital’s roof.
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