Photos: UP Office of the Student Regent on X
Doha, Qatar: A fire broke out in the main building of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila on Wednesday afternoon.
Around 180 patients were evacuated from the facility, and no fatalities were reported due to the incident.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said the fire was raised to the first alarm at 3:08 pm (PHT), and the second alarm was raised three minutes later.
The fire was declared under control at 3:45 pm and fully extinguished at 4:30 pm.
Based on reports, the affected patients include 165 from four wards, six from the Central Adult and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, and 10 from the Medical Intensive Care Unit.
Philippine authorities also launched an investigation to find out the source of the fire, as some local news outlets report that it originated from an audio-visual room.
Speaking with journalists, Jonas del Rosario, University of the Philippines-PGH spokesperson said, "we were able to evacuate them efficiently. No one was hurt, no one died. They have been moved to safer areas."
The Philippines's Department of Health (DOH) also extended assistance to the victims as patients from affected wards were transferred to DOH hospitals in the region.
Rosario also added, "all DOH hospitals in NCR have been alerted and are prepared to accommodate patients.
In light of Fire Prevention Month, the DOH is instructing all its hospitals to review their fire evacuation plans and conduct risk analyses for fire prevention on their premises,” it said.
