Small fire at Huggins Hospital: No evacuations or impact to expansion project

August 25, 2009 (Group 3) WOLFEBORO — No patients were evacuated and operations at Huggins Hospital continued even as firefighters from seven departments extinguished a second alarm fire on the roof area Monday afternoon.Police, firefighters and emergency personnel responded around 4 p.m. after smoke was spotted pouring out of a vent on the roof. Fire Chief Butch Morrill said a second alarm was struck as a precaution due to the size of the building. He added firefighters contained the fire to the roof, especially "around the exhaust pipe of the electrical generating system."Firefighters from Alton, Central Ossipee, Ossipee Corner, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, West Ossipee assisted local crews and members of Wakefield and Lakeside ambulance also responded to the scene, as a precaution, Morrill said.Chris Strong, vice president of development and marketing at Huggins, credited firefighters with their quick response, which resulted in the flames being extinguished within 20 minutes. "At no time were any of the patients in danger," Strong said, adding as part of its emergency plan, the hospital evacuated administrative staff to coordinate further action, if it became necessary."It was a very small fire," Strong said, adding hospital officials believe some insulation near the vent caught fire.Morrill confirmed that no patients were evacuated and operations continued at the hospital, even as firefighters placed fans to vent part of the building."There was a smoke condition in the lobby," Morrill said.Morrill said investigators will have to determine the cause of the fire.Strong said the incident had no impact on the hospital's $52 million expansion project, which is on schedule to be completed in November 2010. Construction on the 101,000-square-foot facility on a 17.9-acre site adjacent to the existing hospital began in 2008.

Article from Fosters newspaper. http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090825/GJNEWS_01/708259956/-1/CITNEWS05