Patients moved after fire starts in hospital dryer

DAILY MAIL STAFF

A fire in a clothes dryer at Charleston Area Medical Center'sWomen and Children's Hospital was quickly contained, but the blazeforced the removal of 14 children from the fifth floor. "It couldhave been worse," said Charleston Assistant Fire Chief RobertCaldwell. "Everything fell into place."

Hospital spokeswoman Karen Frashier said smoke from the Mondayevening fire was contained to the parents' lounge, but the floor wascleared because of the cleanup.

"It was just a clothes dryer on pediatrics for parents of theyouth," Frashier said. "It was contained quickly, but there wassmoke that started the sprinkler system. We moved (the) patients fortheir comfort and cleaned up the mess. No one was injured."

Caldwell said a dryer overheated in the linen room.

"We got the call at 5:19 p.m," he said. "The sprinkler head wentoff. Firemen went in, put the fire out and cleaned up the water.Guys were in masks and suits. No injuries were reported. It wasconfined to the linen room. The doors closed on their own."

Six emergency vehicles, including four firetrucks, responded tothe call, said Caldwell, who added that's the usual number sent outon calls.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

"I would say dryer fires create most of the fires in the city,even in people's houses," Caldwell said. "They overheat, or peopledon't clean out the lint filters."

People often leave the house and leave the dryer running, hesaid.

The hospital pediatric patients were moved from the fifth floorto the fourth floor where beds were available, Frashier said.

"We are doing clean up," she said. "I doubt it will be closedlong."

The incident marks the second fire at the hospital in a year.

Another fire at the hospital occurred 2:30 a.m. Aug. 7, when fireengulfed some linen carts outside the hospital but did not damagethe building, officials said at the time of the incident. That firewas on the loading dock on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of thehospital about 100 feet from the emergency room, firemen reported atthe time. Police questioned people standing near the cart. At thetime, a hospital spokeswoman said three rowdy youth in the waitingarea had been asked to leave.

Writer Charlotte Ferrell Smith can be reached at 348-1246 or by e-mail at charlotte@dailymail.com.