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The fire broke out at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital located at 680 Centre Street in Brockton, just before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the hospital confirmed in a statement. The fire, which is believed to have occurred in the hospital's transformer, affected the building's power.
This meant that power needed to be cut to the entire building so crews could battle the flames, Brockton Fire Chief Brian Nardelli said during a press conference Tuesday morning. This also meant that dozens of patients, some who were critically ill, needed to be relocated.
The response to moving these patients made its way up to 10 alarms for extra "manpower" to assist in the evacuations, Brockton Fire said on Twitter.
Several other fire departments and agencies, including Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police and Brockton Emergency Management (BEMA), were called in to help with evacuations. The Salvation Army was also on scene providing aid to first responders.
The incident even impacted the roads, with Route 123 being shut down in both directions as a result, MassDOT said on Twitter.
While the fire was contained around 9:30 a.m., crews were still checking for hot spots and Hazmat crews were checking air quality, Nardelli added.
BEMA also announced a hotline for people to get information about their family members who may have been moved because of the fire.
No injuries were reported and hospital officials said all patients were safely placed in their appropriate levels of care at other facilities by around 3 p.m. Overall about 160 patients, some who were discharged, were said to be relocated.
Power in the main building at Signature Healthcare wast still off as of Tuesday afternoon and the hospital's main building would be closed indefinitely, according to officials. All adjacent buildings were still open.
Meanwhile, the exact cause of the fire is under investigation but State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said the cause could have been accidental.
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