Ward in Singapore General Hospital Evacuated After Cleaning Robot Catches Fire While Charging
A cleaning robot caught fire while charging in a ward at SGH, forcing patients to be evacuated. The sprinkler system doused the fire, and there were no reported casualties. Patients were temporarily shifted, but most returned to the ward by 9pm.
The event occurred on the hospital's sixth level, setting off the fire alarm and causing SGH's reaction team to take action.
According to a Facebook post by SGH, the fire was doused by an active sprinkler system. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was notified of the incident, and the fire had been extinguished by the time the hospital's fire warden arrived on scene.
Fortunately, there were no reported injuries among patients, visitors, or staff. Patients in Ward 76 were temporarily transferred to other areas of the hospital owing to the presence of smoke. However, the majority of the patients had returned to the ward by 9 p.m., and patient care continued as usual, with contingency preparations in place.
SGH apologised for any concern or inconvenience caused by the incident. They assured the public that investigations are ongoing to ascertain the cause of the incident. The SCDF reported that electrical fires accounted for 30.6% of the 1,954 fires they responded to in 2023, making them the biggest cause of blazes, followed by unattended cooking events.
Patients in a ward at SGH were evacuated after a cleaning robot caught fire while charging.
The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system, and no injuries were reported.
Patients were temporarily relocated, but most had returned to the ward by 9pm.
Source: THE STRAITSTIMES